Pokemon: Guardians of Light III- New Beginnings
by SilyaBeeodess
Summary: Having returned to the past, Lira and Ri continue their adventures as the now renowned Team Crusade, and without the worry of becoming human again Lira is truly able to adjust to life as a Pokemon-meeting faces old and new. However, the peace they thought to have preserved from saving Temporal Tower is broken by a reoccurring evil that continues to haunt them from the shadows.
1. Chapter 1: Snowfall Musings

This isn't the first time I've seen snow, but it's something of an abnormality to me. And even though it's still winter, it's not typical for a place like Treasure Town to get much of it. I can only imagine the current weather being a peculiarity caused by the still healing planet.

Several months have passed since Ri and I placed the Time Gears in Temporal Tower. Time is still out of control within a few areas—particularly where the Time Gears were first removed—but overall things are going back to normal. According to the letters we've received from the Lake Trio, things are slowly beginning to flow back into their natural course. We haven't had any reports of hurt or frozen Pokemon in a while either. The only true after effects that remain are the occasional, minor natural disasters and the odd hot and cold fronts we've been getting.

It's fairly nice here though. It's not too terribly cold, so we can still enjoy a day at the beach: However, if you walk into the forest, you would've thought you had stepped into a winter wonderland. We're getting the best of both worlds.

Pushing open the window of mine and Ri's room, I stick my hand out into the snowfall—catching the frozen crystals within my hand as my own warmth melts them upon contact. It's strange to feel this serene, after all we've been through, but I'm thankful for moments like these. When I returned from the future, we were given a few days to ourselves before we had to return to our work. Things have been rigorous ever since. Ri and I have resumed our training, and we've helped out with recovery efforts across the continent. Grovyle and Celebi have been spending a lot of time together—in fact, we only get to really see them every now and then—as the two have also been traveling to see to the remaining abnormalities. Dusknoir's retaken his room here at the Guild, but has been a shut-in for the most part as he's kept to watching over the Guild's books and records. We've all stayed busy in our own ways.

But other than for the common criminal, there hasn't been any real trouble. The only 'trouble' I can say we've experienced has been in dodging the hounding Pokemon that want to know about our adventure. At least I don't have to handle it alone—Ri took the brunt of it when he first came back from the Hidden Land—but word of my having been human has doubly made me the target of inquiring minds, not to mention my Dimensional Scream ability. We've had leaders from other continents who've wanted to speak with us, exploration and rescue teams who've wanted to partner with us. Only when it came to other guilds wanting us to join their ranks did Chatot and Wigglytuff stop snickering behind our backs to come to our rescue…

Ri got his wish: We're a top-notch exploration team. And we're paying for it in spades… It's not all bad, but I could make do without the interruptions on our days in town.

I hear the door creak open behind me and turn to see Ri stepping into our room with a carefully -wrapped box cradled in his arms. "Chatot's not going to be happy with you if you let in a draft," he reminds teasingly, setting it down on the floor. He had stepped out to check on the mail, but with the holidays already being well behind us I didn't really expect us to get anything more than letters or job offers.

"You'd think our saving the world would spare us from getting lectured as much…" Sealing the window once again, I step over to him and remove the note attached to the box. My mild confusion is soon dismissed, and I summarize the note to him with a grin, "It's from Grovyle and Celebi. It says they stopped at a trading post in Capim and are on their way back from their last mission."

"Then I guess they sent us a souvenir," he concludes. For all the traveling we've done, we've actually never been to Capim: All we know is that it's a port town. I don't think it'll be much longer before we get our chance though—seeing a letter from the Water Continent mixed in with our mail only confirms this much.

"Lira, look at this!" Ri's excited claim beckons my glance away from the letters to him as he opens the box. Peering within it as well, I nearly gawk at the variety of foodstuffs it contains: Gateau, jam, maple candies, honey, fudge, lava cookies, Pokeblock, Gogoat cheese, and a few other things to try. I know I shouldn't—we haven't even had breakfast yet and I'm not even that hungry—but I'm tempted to swiping something now.

I'm as easy to read as ever I guess, because he chuckles at me, "You've always had a sweet tooth, haven't you?"

"Can you blame me? Dessert was all but unheard of in the dark future: It's my ambrosia." This only gets him to laugh further.

Shuffling through the items, I also find a small packet of biscuits-like sticks dipped in chocolate with another note attached. I've never seen anything quite like them before, and pick up the paper. From the handwriting, I can tell it's an extra piece from Celebi—which is strange in itself because Grovyle's usually the one to write. According to her, they're a type snack of known as Pocky, and there's some sort of game where…

Oh…

"What else did they say?" Ri tries to crane his neck to see the extra note, but I crumple it up before he can. My blush, however, is not so easily hidden. He doesn't even have to get an answer from me before releasing an amused snort and blushing himself. Probably not because he knows about Pocky, but because we both know Celebi.

Ever since Ri and I started going on… intimate terms, we've somewhat become targets of our friends and family. Just like Celebi, Sunflora and Chimecho went into near hysterics over our being a couple. Meanwhile, Ri's faced his share of teasing from Croagunk, Corphish, Loudred, and Diglett. Out of our guildmates, only Bidoof, Chatot, and the Guildmaster have shown any restraint. Even some of the townsfolk have joined in.

But in all honestly, now that we're like this, we don't really know how to conduct ourselves anymore. For the most part, we've just gone on with ourselves as we've always been—just with the occasional kiss on the cheek. I mean, we pretty much just hung out with one another all the time anyway, so it's not like calling it 'dating' would really be any different, right? It's still just us: Ri and Lira, Team Crusade. The ones who are making the biggest fuss about it are everyone else.

Team Salacious would probably be making—and mind the pun—the biggest stink over it were it not for the fact that we actually haven't seen very much of them lately. Like many other things, it's also strange—not having our rivals to pester us. We've made up for the empty place though with our recent training routines.

The papers I got from Jaden in my own world have come in handy for us. There are moves and techniques we've never thought of, and that not even Ri has ever heard of: Communicating through aura-infused gemstones, manipulating aura to levitate objects, creating barriers that can even contain explosive blasts. Not that we've skillfully mastered any of that just yet, but we're improving. And for Riolu, our abilities go behind average. After all, we shouldn't have been able to learn Aura Sphere and Bone Rush until we had evolved, but we can. We can only grow stronger from here on out.

"We should probably hurry," Ri says as he puts on a dark, navy scarf and hands a matching one to me. "We can get breakfast in the mess hall, and Chatot said he and the Guildmaster are going to make an important announcement during the morning address."

An announcement? I have to admit, I'm curious. Everyone in the Guild has been so busy with the recovery efforts on top of our regular work that we haven't done much else, and we haven't heard of any major problems since our journey to the Hidden Land. Maybe Wigglytuff is planning another expedition for all of us. Or maybe we'll be sent out in mass once again to help some of the gradually unthawing lands that were trapped in time. Either way, I suppose we should get moving before Loudred comes knocking on our door with his usual, ear-splitting wakeup call.

I nod, shrugging on our Treasure Bag and soon after wrapping the scarf around my shoulders. Outside of our door the Guild's daily bustle has already begun, and as we step into the hallway we find ourselves greeted by our fellow apprentices. Farther away, I can smell freshly baked muffins being prepared in the mess hall and, sure enough, I can hear Loudred yelling at the door of some other team's room. Just the sort of lively morning rituals that we're used to. Announcement or not, I guess it's really just another day for us.


	2. Chapter 2: A Shocking Announcement

We walk past Dusknoir's room to find it bolted shut, per the norm. It's hard to know what's stranger: Living with someone who tried to kill us several times over or dealing with his now constant state of isolation. But as out of place a feeling as it is, I guess it's better than being the one that himself feels out of place. When we brought Dusknoir here, it… naturally did not go over very well. Most were horrified at his being back: A few attacked him on sight. Mine, Grovyle's, and Celebi's explanations were met with suspicion, and even I still can't believe half of what was said.

According to the other two, when Grovyle dragged Dusknoir back to the future with him they ended up joining forces. At first, it was some sort of trap so he could take over Grovyle's body and come back to the past pretending to be him—I don't even want to imagine if we had been made to face that—but Grovyle was able to convince the Ghost-type to join our side somehow. Grovyle, who rarely turns his back on anyone, trusted Dusknoir and was able to gain his trust as well. That in itself seemed like an insanity. But more than that, the very thought that the general of Primal Dialga's forces fought alongside Grovyle and Celebi against the legendary himself is unfathomable.

Of course, my story of him having been a teammate in an alternative future must've seemed pretty out there as well.

Only Wigglytuff was willing to show any real forgiveness toward him, but Dusknoir's been looked after with a watchful eye. In the end, I guess he was given a room at the Guild just for the sake of watching him—keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all… Knowing him, he's probably aware of that too. I wish I could say that at least he has us to believe in him, but who am I trying to fool? And I'm the last person who should say anything at all. Even Ri's put in more of an effort than I have to move past everything. It's just that, when I see Dusknoir, I see all the things he's done to hurt us. I see him torturing and murdering Ri…

Then there are my visions from those months spent in my own time. With what the thing—Darkrai—was doing, haunting me with nightmares that I couldn't decipher from reality, I really don't know what to believe. Were any of those visions flashbacks? And did Dusknoir really kill my parents, or was it just a suitable lie conjured up by Darkrai in order to make certain that I stood against him?

 _Well, he came back with us—despite it all_ , I muse, _so maybe that counts for something…_ I sure hope so anyway. It probably would've been easier for him to stay in the future, where he had the fear and respect of the Sableye and where no one else would remember him for what he had done during the Planet's Paralysis.

"It doesn't look like he'll be stepping out of there today either," Ri notes, following my gaze with a slight frown.

"If he stays cooped up in his room for much longer, he'll turn into a vegetable," I add. It isn't much of a joke, but it relieves some of the tension.

We join the line-up of apprentices outside of the Guildmaster's chambers. From the looks of it, it seems that everyone is here. _First time in a while…_ Actually, I think it's been somewhere around a month since all of us have met for the morning address. We've all been on the job for so often, it's been hard to tell who's coming and going.

"Lira!" I look to my left to see Sunflora getting into position beside me. "There's supposed to be this merchant coming to town today to selling accessories. Do you want to come along with me and Chimecho to see?"

"Sorry, Sunflora: We've already got plans," I raise my shoulders in an apologetic shrug. "Maybe some other time."

"Ooh? You two have plans?" she croons teasingly, and I can't help but roll my eyes.

"And by plans I mean we're restocking our supplies and going to _Marowak's Dojo_ ," I explain further as my ears slightly flop back in irritation. She looks back at me with a disgruntlement similar to a child's after being told they couldn't have a cookie before dinner.

Before she can reply, Chatot and the Guildmaster both enter. In an instant, the noise surrounding us dies down to a soft murmur. I shift from foot to foot and adjust the strap of our Treasure Bag at my shoulder, eager for whatever news they have to tell us. The peace has been really nice, but I suppose I'm not entirely used to it. I haven't even had a nightmare for the longest time, but instead have found myself waking up in the middle of the night on occasion as if it were a bad habit. Not that I would want a repeat of Temporal Tower, but an exciting change of pace might make me feel a little less restless. Maybe a visit to someplace new…

"Quiet down, everyone!" ushers Chatot in a voice that carries above the crowd, and soon enough the last of the discussions fade. "To begin, Guildmaster Wigglytuff and I would like to thank all of you for your hard work since the incidents with the Time Gears. Thanks to you, along with support from the various other exploration teams across the region, we've been able to see to the recovery efforts with efficiency and haste.

"For now, we haven't received any news of any more disturbances. Therefore, we'll return to business as usual for the day." The atmosphere in the room lightens, and behind me I hear a sigh of relief. Most everyone's ready for some well-deserved rest. But as Chatot continues, he captures their attention once again. "However, there is something of great importance that needs to be addressed. We would like to give Team Crusade a hearty congratulations.

"It had been decided by the Guildmaster that Lira and Ri will be allowed to take the graduation exam."

I feel my body stiffen, and look around me to find the others staring at one another in shock. Graduation exam? What on earth is Chatot talking about? When did anyone decide on this and only _just now_ thought it was a good idea to tell us?

Ri, looking equally stunned, takes a step forward and asks what we're both wondering. "Pardon?! Graduation?!" The surprise of it even cuts through his usual calm. When we first joined the Guild, Chatot called us little more than kids. And we've all seen the other teams: Even after all we've done, they still have more experience than we do. It's all the more confusing when I begin to think of how old Croagunk and Dugtrio are. I always figured that there was some sort of standard you had to meet for how long you stayed on as an apprentice before you could graduate.

"That's right! Graduation from the Guild," Chatot repeats. "If you graduate, you can leave the Guild. You'll be rid of the harsh daily training program too. Of course, that all depends on your passing the exam."

Before either of us can press him further for answers, Corphish shouts at him with noticeable frustration, "Hey, hey, hey! Chatot! We've been around a lot longer than those two. Why do Lira and Ri get to take the graduation exam before we do?"

 _You can have my spot!_ I want to say. I still don't understand why we've been chosen to take it either. And if we're supposed to take it right this second, we don't even have any clue about how to handle it. What do we even do for the exam?

"They've already proven themselves to be worthy many times over—and after all, Lira and Ri saved the world. It's only natural that they've earned the right to be tested," Chatot retorts. Ugh. At least that part makes sense, but I'm not used to hearing compliments from him. It makes me kind of miss grouchy, unimpressionable, unforgiving Chatot… He then looks back to us, "And that's how it goes. We will conduct the exam sometime next week. I expect the both of you to be prepared for it!"

 _Like how we were prepared for you to announce that in front of everyone without warning?!_

"Loudred took the graduation exam last year!" I hear Sunflora mutter to the others with a slight chuckle.

"And promptly failed! Hey, hey!" Corphish returns with equal mirth. However, Ri and myself can't share in it as we look to one another, silently boding over the harshness of whatever test it may be.

The comments didn't settle well with Loudred either. "G-g-get LOST!" he yells at them, flustered with embarrassment.

"So…" Ri raises his voice once again, only a bit more timidly them before. I shift closer to him on instinct as he continues, "What are we supposed to do for the graduation exam?"

"I want you to explore the depths of a wood named the Mystifying Forest," Wigglytuff explains, stepping forward with a confident smile. "You should find a place called the Luminous Spring there."

"Luminous Spring?"

"Yup! It was once a place where Pokemon went to evolve. But maybe because of the time troubles we had, no sunlight shines on the spring now. Now nothing can evolve there."

"We want you to travel to Luminous Spring and return with its treasure," Chatot adds. "If you can bring that treasure back to the Guild, you pass the exam. You will then be recognized as a fully trained exploration team and graduate from the Guild with full honors!" He speaks with a sense of pride that makes it seem as if he were the one chosen to take the exam instead of the one given it to us.

 _Why did I think that I wanted a change of pace…_ I guess anyone else would be excited, but all I can really think of is how I'm _not_ ready for this? A little adventure? Yes! New sites to see? Of course! But _graduation?!_ I know we have about a week to prepare, but it feels all too soon. Does Ri even think we'll be ready in time, when we don't even know what we would be looking for? Maybe we should give this a bit of thought before leaping in. Of course, with it being an honor, we can't easily turn it down. I look to him searchingly for what we should do.

But when I see him I can't bear to pull him off to the side to ask him such a thing, and any words that I might have said to him get caught in my throat. He's not intimidated in the least. If anything, his eyes are shining with a vibrancy I've witnessed countless times over during the pinnacles of our adventures, like when he first talked about forming an exploration team and told me about the dreams he had for the future. Now… now those dreams are really coming true for him, aren't they…?

"Sure thing!" he answers them, his voice resolute in the belief of our success. "We just have to bring back the treasure!"

…How could I tell him that I don't feel ready? I can't hold him back like that…

He looks to me with an excited grin, his tail beating the air vigorously, "Let's do this, Lira!"

"Right!" I reply, putting on a fake smile and standing a little taller. Ri wants this. And we've both more than _earned_ it. Who knows? We may not even get another chance like this if we turn it down now. Besides… I'm the more impulsive one of us both! I won't hesitate! No, I _can't_ hesitate when we've come so far!

" _But!_ " Wigglytuff presses, drawing our focus back to him, "You have to watch out for one thing. It is there that you'll also find a frighteningly strong enemy. The Grand Master of All Things Bad lives there."

"The Grand Master of All Things Bad?!" Ri echoes, showing the first sign of reluctance since our exam was announced. Honestly, that seems like the easiest part to handle to me. A stronger enemy than a legendary on a rampage willing to thrust the whole planet into an eternity of darkness? I think we can handle him. Not to mention the fact that anyone who actually calls himself 'The Grand Master of All Things Bad' doesn't seem like they're anything to take very seriously to me. Then again, it could just be a name Wigglytuff came up with to add a bit more drama to the whole thing.

"Yup! The Grand Master is terribly wicked!" he goes on, and I have to fight the incredulous expression trying to take over my features. "It's a horrifying presence that no one would ever want to meet… So…" All of a sudden, his seriousness evaporates as he beams at us and says in a sing-song voice, "Good luck with that!"

"What?! Huh?!" Ri exclaims, completely baffled, and I can nearly see the horror and bewilderment dripping from him.

Huh… Maybe it wouldn't be all that hard to convince him to wait a while longer for our exams after all… I exhale through my nose in self-aggravation. Too bad I love him too much to let him quit on it so easily when I know he really wants to pass…

"That will do for the morning briefing!" Chatot dismisses, and I guess we're still so backed-up with old jobs put on hold that he doesn't even bother to have us recite the typical cheers. "All right, everyone! Let's get back to work!"

As the crowd disperses—with several of the apprentices congratulating us on their way out—Ri turns to me in a panic and takes me by the hands. "What'll we do, Lira?! About the Grand Master of All Things Bad!" I can hardly believe he actually buys that story, and if it weren't for the apprehension I sense in him, I wouldn't.

"You do realize we've been in more life-or-death scenarios than we can count, right?" I offer with a raised brow. "I don't think the Guildmaster would pit us against something that would send us to an early grave."

However, it seems my words only heighten his terror as he then rushes over to Loudred before the Normal-type can join Diglett at the sentry station. "Loudred, you took the graduation exam last year, right? Can you tell me something? What was the Grand Master of All Things Bad like?"

Loudred stiffens, looking around as if scared of being overheard. "Ugh! I-I'm sorry! I'm not allowed to talk about it! It's the Guild rule! I CAN'T talk about it!" I blink with mild surprise.

If not even Loudred will tell us what's going on, the exam has to be serious business. I watch as Ri's shoulders droop at his words, but I really don't see what we could get out of him anyway. For all we know, he might've had a different task than we have: It was a year ago since his own exam after all.

"But… I will tell you this." Ri's ears perk up earnestly, only to pin back again at what the other reveals. "You're in for a dreadful, terrifying time. What I went through… Even now when I let myself remember it…" Loudred looks to the ground as he begins to tremble from whatever horrors he sees in his own inner musings. All I can really do is tilt my head curiously, having never seen him in such a state before.

All of a sudden, he lets out an ear-piercing scream and dashes off—leaving the two of us to watch him, stunned.

Ri groans nervously, running a hand along the back of his head as he casts his eyes over to me. "Loudred was useless for getting information," he mumbles, "We'll just have to do our best to graduate on our own." Dragging his feet along the ground, he starts walking over to the ladder leading to the upper levels. "I guess we should go down to Treasure Town and start getting ready."

 _We've still got a week_ , I want to remind him, but hold back my tongue. For now, it's probably best if I offer him whatever support I can and get his courage back up.

If I had any of my own to spare, I'd give it to him. It's just that I don't even feel like I really _want_ to graduate. Not yet… Things are amazing right now just the way they are. When we step outside of our room and see our friends every morning. When we eat with Chatot, the Guildmaster, and the other apprentices in the mess hall at dinner. Even when we say that stupid chant. When we pass the exam, we won't have any of that anymore. We'll still be members of the Guild, yes—and with greater privileges than we now have as apprentices—but we'll be expected to act on our own for the most part. Some of the full-fledged teams hardly ever even visit the Guild unless they live nearby: Some never come back at all, as if the place was little more than a forgotten memory.

I guess I can't say I wouldn't mind moving to Sharpedo Bluff and living with Grovyle and Celebi. But maybe Ri won't even want to stay in Treasure Town afterwards: Maybe he'll want to move back to his hometown and start our base of operations there. Now that I'm here, as a Riolu again, I'm just… not ready for so much change all at once for a third time. I want to savor being an apprentice with Ri, and make up for when I didn't when I was so focused on turning back into a human.

And I only have a week left to do that. I'd probably wish for time to stop just for a little while, but with the way my luck is going so far today we'd probably then hear news about Temporal Tower trying to collapse again…

We're already Gold Rank. Why do I have to be so reluctant about this? It's childish!

I'll have to have a talk with Ri about all of this… Even if we graduate, I know he'll be willing to take small steps if I ask him. I just hope I don't hold him back much as a result…


	3. Chapter 3: Omens

"Lira, are you alright?"

Most who come to the dojo put their mettle to the test in the various training mazes available to practice in—several levels built underground, each meant for fighting different types of Pokemon in specific environments. It's similar to what a recreation center would be in the human world, and Pokemon from all over come here to hone their skills. Normally, we would have to pay a fee to practice here, but Marowak allows members of Wigglytuff's Guild to train here without worrying about the cost.

Lately though, we've just been using one of the spare rooms to practice our aura abilities against training dummies. Ri's grown more adept with using Bone Rush: My Aura Spheres have become more stable and powerful. We've both gotten better at creating barriers, I'm able to manipulate my aura a bit beyond the creation of spheres, and Ri's been able to practice his healing techniques on some of the other visitors by restoring their stamina.

But I can't focus like I should from worrying about our graduation exam. It's strange, because it usually just comes so naturally to me beyond what I've done to summon and strengthen it on command. But I guess with my thoughts in such disarray I don't even have the heart to train right now. I just want to reset my life back to when we were just starting out as explorers…

I blink in surprise as Ri gently puts his paw to my forehead, not expecting the sudden touch. "Well, you don't have a fever…" he murmurs thoughtfully, one of his ears pinned flat against his head. "But maybe we should stop for the day. You said you and your parents were originally from Hoenn, right? From what my dad used to tell me about his travels, that place is mostly islands. And in the Dark Future, the weather never changed. I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't used to all of the snow we've had lately, and I don't want you to push yourself and get sick because of it."

I can't help but smile at how considerate he is. As his hand glides down my face to cup my cheek, I lean into his hold and nuzzle against his palm. "I'm fine," I reassure him, "I just can't pull my thoughts away from the exam."

"I guess neither of us can get any real training in like this," he admits. "Maybe we should stop for today. We can get a few supplies at the Kecleon Brothers' shop and pick up where we left off first thing tomorrow."

"But shouldn't we get as much training in as possible?" I'm all for taking it easy for the rest of the day, but I know him better than that.

Before he can answer, however, we hear a knock on the chamber door. Ears perking curiously, we both turn to see Marowak standing in the entryway. "I'm sorry, you two," he says in a robust tenor, tapping his bone staff upon the ground, "but I have to close the dojo early. The weather's getting pretty hectic out there and I don't want anyone getting caught in it if it gets any worse. You both should scamper back home."

Ri and I shoot each other a peculiar glance. Sure, we've had some strange weather lately, but the worst sort that Treasure Town has ever gotten was monsoons—and the last one hasn't happened since I last returned from the future. Yet sure enough everyone's leaving, and we step outside to find that the downpour of snow has grown stronger since this morning. A blanket of white now covers the streets that had been clear just two hours earlier.

Unconsciously, I shift closer to Ri's side. Call me paranoid, but experience makes it feel like a bad omen. Then again, I've never had the best experiences with storms either: Losing my memories when I first came to the past, and then getting attacked by Darkrai and thrown in the ocean when I was on that ship in my own time.

"Looks like shopping for supplies is out of the question," he sighs, taking my hand in his own. But then he grins, "But the streets will probably be blocked tomorrow. Which means that, unless something serious happens, we should get a day off. We could have a snow day." With that said, his tail begins to beat the air in contentment. While practically every day this winter has been a snow day for me, Ri grew up in the mountains: He's used to seeing a season full of ice and snow.

"We could always practice some our aura techniques in our room then," I offer, "to make up for lost time." Despite his glee, he has to hold some mixed feelings since a day off also means one day less to prepare for next week. Even if I'm off today, I don't want this to be a day wasted for him.

He nods readily in agreement, then begins leading me down the remembered course back to the Guild. Beyond the snow, the way is relatively clear. Just like the dojo, a few places are closing early and most people seemed to have returned to their homes. Only a few others still shuffle about the winter wonderland that surrounds us.

Shockingly enough, even the stream that runs through town is trying to freeze over—all the way to the corners of the small waterfall that pours over the cliff-face toward the route down to the beach. I don't think it's done that once yet since I've been here… As we cross over the bridge, I can't resist poking my foot out over the ice to prod my toe against the thin, crystal layer. But just a light touch shatters it enough to send a few fragments moving along the current.

Looking up, I find we're not the only stragglers: Teddiursa and Ursaring, two locals, appear within the curtain of snowfall. From what I know, they're brother and sister—though about five years separate the two. Yet even with the gap in their age, they're rarely seen apart.

Catching sight of us as well, Teddiursa tugs upon her brother's arm and gives us an excited wave, "Oh! Ri and Lira! Hi!"

"Hi, Teddiursa and Ursaring," Ri greets for us both as we stop for a minute to talk with them. Then, taking note of the large bag slung over the latter's shoulder, he asks, "What's happening? Are you going out somewhere?"

"Not today, I'm afraid," the eldest sibling replies with a look of disappointment and a slight shake of his head. "This weather's chased us back into town." Then, as if worried that the complaint would only disgruntle Teddiursa as well, he adds, "but it's fine. We're planning on taking another trip next week."

"Yup!" she bounces on the balls of her feet in agreement, "We're going off to Mystifying Forest."

That answer takes the both of us aback. Up until today, we've never even heard of Mystifying Forest: Now, it's been mentioned twice. And for it to be the same place as our exam…

"Pardon?! Mystifying Forest?" my partner echoes as if not believing the pair. The coincidence is too perfect, but it's hard to believe that we misheard them. As they nod in confirmation, he continues, "But isn't it dangerous there? Haven't you heard? The Grand Master of All Things Bad is supposed to be there?"

…I love him. I really do. But in this moment I can't help but bite my bottom lip, look away, and run my hand through my hair at the ridiculousness of it all. The more often we say that title, the worse it sounds…

"The Grand Master of All Things Bad?"

Yep: It's still getting worse.

The two Normal-types give the both of us an incredulous look before turning to one another. "I've never…" Ursaring begins, choosing his words cautiously as if he doesn't want rebuke how serious Ri is over the matter, "…heard of anything like that…" He pats his sister on the head affectionately. "You're sure you're not making a mistake?"

"We go play in Mystifying Forest often," Teddiursa explains, "We've never seen or even heard of a Grand Master."

"You must've misheard a bad rumor or something."

Or our Guildmaster is a Perfect Apple-loving looney who ate one too many when he came up with the idea of the Grand Master… The fact that they've already been there—several times—and haven't run into any trouble only adds to my doubt about the details of our test. I fold my arms over my chest out of habit, but mask my disbelief by rubbing my hands across my skin to act like I'm just trying to keep warm.

The only thing that makes me hesitate against entirely disclaiming the issue is that Loudred took the exam before us and failed. And it must've been over a year ago, because it certainly wasn't announced when Ri and I first joined the Guild. I don't know who might win in a fight between all of the apprentices, but Loudred is far from weak. And if he didn't pass, whatever trial lies in store must bear some level of difficulty.

After we bid the two goodbye, even Ri begins to show his own doubts. "Something's not right. It sounds completely unlike what Wigglytuff told us."

I might as well say it, "To be honest, I don't really think there even _is_ a Grand Master, Ri. I don't know what Wigglytuff is planning, but everything about this is suspicious."

He finally just shrugs, "I guess it's not as if we can do anything about it. We'll just have to be ready for anything."

As the snowfall gets worse, we race back to the Guild compound. Somehow, the place is even more packed than when we first left that morning. Not only are the various teams present, but also explorers that have only appeared every now and then to visit. Random travelers linger on the Guild's first floor to wait out the snow while Fire-types ignite small pits fashioned along the walls to keep the place warm. Steaming mugs of pine needle tea are passed around and we grab a couple before returning to our room.

The minute the door closes behind us, I shed away my scarf and shake to dry myself off. Backing toward the window to avoid the mist, Ri follows suit, and by the time we're both done we each still look like we were assaulted with Water-type attacks and neither of us can help but snicker at the other.

The tea does us good, heating us from the core as we sit down on our bed and each take a sip. The feeling of the liquid's warmth radiating from the mug and sliding down my throat is relaxing. The taste is almost citrusy, but it's also been flavored with honey to sweeten it. I feel the strain in my muscles ease and take a deep breath of content.

Ri's a lot calmer than he was first thing this morning when we got the news about our graduation exam. It's as if, somehow, not knowing what to expect has actually given him more confidence than knowing that we're bound to face a powerful enemy. It might seem strange, but we've had to react to so much without any sort of warning or preparation that I guess it's just become the norm for us. Our plans always seem to get tossed aside by some means of fate, so we've adapted our style to something that exists purely in the moment.

Shifting closer to him, I lean over and press my nose against his affectionately. He snorts before nuzzling mine in the same manner. For the time being, I want to stay in this moment. For the remainder of our apprenticeship, I want us to enjoy it—so maybe it's better if we don't worry over the details so much. And pass or fail, there's at least one thing I'm happy will stay the same either way: We'll stick together through it.

 _A snow day, huh?_ I muse, tilting my head to gaze out of our frost-covered window. That'll be a nice, just Ri and I enjoying some time to ourselves.


	4. Chapter 4: Change

As we rise early the next morning, we find that our work as members of Wigglytuff's Guild never rests for any sort of weather. During the morning briefing, every apprentice is loaded down with a crate of berries and sent out into town to pass them off to the citizens. Even Ri and I are sent separately to get the supplies out to everyone quickly.

Like I've said, Treasure Town just isn't used to getting snow—much less the near-blizzard that fell upon us. Therefore, people don't really prepare extra foodstuffs for the winter: After all, why bother when you can still get fresh goods a hop, skip, and a jump from home? The only real reason the Guild keeps its supplies stocked to the brim is because of the fact that there are so many people to see to. Most everyone is certain that the roads will already be cleared within the next few days if not by tomorrow, so we don't worry about it all that much. Still, we'd rather be safe than sorry and watching after the townsfolk is just part of our duty to them. The town supports the Guild and the Guild supports the town.

I'm careful as I trek through the uncharted piece of neighborhood that surrounds me. To think I've lived here for almost a year now, have travelled across the region and through time itself, and yet have hardly ever explored the places I'd walk right past on a daily nearly basis. Other than for the area surrounding the Guild, the beach, and the main stretch of road cutting through the marketplace, I realize I haven't really seen all that much of Treasure Town. It's jarring, actually, and I feel just as curious as if I were walking through a long forgotten land.

And maybe it is forgotten, at least for me—locked tight somewhere in my mind along with all of the other memories I've yet to get back. I know when Ri took both Grovyle and myself in in the future, he took us here, to Treasure Town. I also know I was mostly kept a secret, hidden underground beyond prying eyes, but I must've be let out to roam free every now and then because I also remember training with Ri in the nearby forest. Shouldn't I remember more about Treasure Town then what I do, even if it was years in the future and even if it's just a little bit that I remember?

 _I want to remember_. Most of my memories are filled with pain, yes, but they're still mine. And my life is not just a collection of major details and short stories: It's full of thoughts, and lessons, and emotions. I can't imagine being content with knowing only the groundwork plot of my own life. But I digress, brushing that train of thought aside with a lax shrug. Grovyle and Celebi have both been trying to help me to the best of their abilities and I still have the journal from my time in the Dark Future. Not to mention the scrapbooks that were bound to and mixed in with the papers I got from Jaden in my time. To think that I completely forgotten about them up until I got the chance to show Ri some of the documents…

Those pictures, that handwriting similar to though far more delicate than my own… Sometimes, I don't know how to feel about it all…

It's sometimes when I'm looking at those pages—rare, but present nonetheless—that I catch Ri giving me a questioning stare, as if he's asking me if I regret coming back to the past. Or, to put it more accurately, coming back to him. At those times, I sense his reservation, his concern. I always smile, and sometimes joke about how hard it was for me to adjust to human technology and culture as I try to steer away the topic before it can be raised… I don't want him to feel like that—guilty, because I gave up the life I had once vehemently searched for in order to be here—because it isn't true. There are moments when I do feel a pang of longing for that world I left behind, but in no way do I regret my decision. And it's not for forever: Someday, years from now, I'll return. I'll just have grown up quite a bit first.

I wonder what Max and Gardevoir would think, seeing me as a Pokemon…

I bounce the crate in my arms to help relieve them of some of the strain from holding it in the same position for so long. Good thing I don't have to keep them like that for much longer anyway as I begin to approach the next tent-like house. Setting the crate by my side in the snow, I shout through the closed flap of thick cloth that makes the door, "Delivery from Wigglytuff's Guild! Is anyone home?"

The familiar face that steps out to meet me is one I've only seen a handful of times, but easily recognize by the similar features it shares with two others I know. "Lira," the young woman greets me with a wide smile, "It's great to see you."

"Hey, Azumarill. Sorry to make you get up." She's slowly recovering from her illness, but it's still a constant worry. It's not fatal or anything, but she often stays frail. "I just came by to drop off some berries around the neighborhood, so you and the boys can have as many as you need," I explain with a brief gesture to the crate.

Speak of the devils—it's not a moment after I mention them that both Marill and Azurill poke their heads from around each of their mother's sides and peer up at me excitedly, their eyes sparkling with the excitement that only a child can possess. "Hi, Lira!" the former greets, bouncing on the balls of his feet before asking, "Where's Ri? You two are always together."

"He's off on his own delivery route," I say as I begin gathering a collection of berries to give to Azumarill. "We'll meet up again after our work is done."

"Guess what, Lira?" Azurill presses, puffing out his small chest a bit as he speaks, "My big brother and I are gonna be explorers—just like you guys! We're gonna join the Guild and go on adventures too!"

Their mother gives them a silencing, but warm look. " _Someday_ you both will," she adds. "But not until you're a little older. Being an explorer is a tough and dangerous job."

The stare she then points in my direction forces me to do nothing more than nod my head in agreement. Anyway, it's not like I want to encourage them to jump up and run off pulling some of the crazy things Ri and I did when we first started out as an exploration team—and we're at least twice their age. Nevermind all of the crazy stuff that happened with the Time Gears, there were still moments when we could've lost our lives. It'd be neat to see them grow and follow in our steps, but it's scary to think of them heading off by themselves at their age.

Seeing this, they deflate a bit and I feel a twinge of remorse from their disappointed eyes. As I finish up with the delivery and heft the crate back into my arms, the words pour from my lips before I can stop them, "Well… Ri and I are planning on going on a bit of a trek later on. Maybe the two of you would like to be 'Jr. Explorers' for the day and come with us—That is, if it's ok with your mom."

The way they light up at my words reassures my decision in inviting them along, though I can't help but feel a little discontented by it. I don't think Ri will mind, but I wanted to share the day with just him alone. It's hard to say no to eyes like theirs though, looking up at you like you're supposed to be some sort of hero.

After shrugging on some winter gear, the young brothers soon enough rush after me as I make my way through the rest of the neighborhood. The company is nice, and they're able to introduce me to some of the people and point out their homes. They even help disperse the berries around to the different houses and quicken the pace of the job. It isn't at all long after that we've returned to Chimecho to drop off the empty crate and are left waiting for Ri to get back from his rounds.

"What took you so long?" I tease him as he eventually makes his way down the main path into town, his own deliveries complete.

"People wanted to talk. Mostly they asked if we knew anything about the recent storm." After catching sight of the two boys, he shakes his head at me with mirth, but doesn't continue until he can murmur beside me, "It's not that I mind, but is there a reason they're tagging along?"

"I lost a battle of will," I quip back. Hand in hand as we snicker under our breath, the two brothers turn to us curiously before snickering to one another—undoubtedly assuming our brief words were some shared flirtation rather than anything to do with them. The light nuzzle of my cheek against his arm only confirms this for them.

From then on, Ri takes the lead of our small group of four. We follow the main road until we meet the intersecting stream that runs through town, then follow that further some distance until breaking off the path yet again to trail along a frozen creek that breaks from it. Treasure Town is soon left behind and we find ourselves surrounded by the dense, snow-covered foliage of the woods. Other than for the offbeat questions we're asked by the pair of Water-types, we enjoy the short walk in blissful silence—drinking in the scenery and savoring the radiating warmth from one another.

We stop where the creek ends as it opens back up into a large pond some twenty minutes' distance from where we began at the heart of town. Having never been here before, I'm almost surprised by the well-nigh isolated place: Even covered in the dead cold of winter it's beautiful, like something out of a painting. My partner pulls me forward after I've had my exploratory glance, guiding me to the side of the pond. I stiffen as he walks onto the ice—my feet halting back on instinct—but it doesn't break beneath his weight upon it.

"Try and use your claws to keep yourself steady," he advises with a reassuring grin, taking me by both hands as he backs further onto the pond's glassy surface. I give him a worried grimace as my body is slowly tugged forward: In seconds, I won't have any choice but to follow suit. I suppose this was part of his intent in bringing me out here. Skating is supposed to be fun, but he means to better my in-born skills as a Riolu in the meantime. I've never really had a reason to use the small, retractable claws on my hands and feet—not for my attacks or even for climbing—and Ri rarely bares his own, so I've simply never bothered with them much.

I guess now's as good a time as any to practice with them, all things considering…

As the pads of one foot touch the chilling cold of the ice I extend them with subtle care, and when I feel myself lean forward as they scratch and catch upon it I try to push part of my weight back in order to compensate.

I overdo it, but before I can fall Ri tugs me to his chest and we both slide a short pace. I brace my feet apart in my attempts to remain steady, gripping onto him in my awkward state of imbalance. "I'm pretty sure that if I was meant for this kind of thing," I tease nervously, my eyes on my feet, "I would've transformed into an Ice-type instead of a Riolu."

To this he laughs and nods his head pointedly as Marill and Azurill follow us onto the pond and slide past us on their stomachs. Even though they have nothing to keep them steady they move with grace across the surface—launching themselves with just enough force to get where they want to go and twisting their bodies at just the right angles to turn on cue. "It takes a bit of getting used to, but even though you're from somewhere warm you're also a mountain Riolu like me. It should come naturally for you to handle this sort of thing."

Technically speaking, I'm a mixed breed like him. In general terms, there are two essential "breeds" of Riolu and Lucario based on where they live: the mountains or the plains. Mountain Riolu and Lucario tend to have a strong build and have longer, darker fur to keep them warm in chilly temperatures at high altitude: Plains Riolu and Lucario have shorter, lighter fur and are usually built for speed. Ri's parents are from both linages, and as for me I can't tell why I am the way I am except for convenient chance. Either way, I still don't think we're _supposed_ to be able to move across ice like this…

"Just do what I do," Ri smiles. He moves us further toward the heart of the pond, gliding across the ice with ease as he subtly shifts from foot to foot in order to propel us onward. I merely allow myself to be dragged along, minding my footing all the while. Eventually though, I begin to copy the pattern of his movements—moving forward to one side as he moves back and vice versa. It's a tentative change of pace, and I slowly find an excitable grin invading my features as I start to get the hang of it.

Then he changes direction, pushing his weight further to the left. My breath stiffens at our new course, but a laugh soon follows. One of Ri's hands abandons his hold on mine and I drift about at a ninety degree angle to skate alongside him. It's nerve-racking to think I might slip at any moment, but I have to admit that it's also somehow fun: Linked as we are, it's almost like we're dancing.

"Let's do this every day!" exclaims Azurill as he whizzes by us, sliding on the ice on his back. Using a faint Water Gun, he propels himself like a rocket and flies over the pond with a good deal of speed. Marill nods along in agreement from the sidelines, having left the surface of the pond to instead play by a large pile of snow that's been collected beneath the foliage of a small group of trees. Like me, this season good likely be the first time they've ever experienced ice and snow before. To them, the winter wonderland that Treasure Town has become must be like experiencing a whole new world.

"If it were like this every day, then you'd miss the things we get to do during the other seasons," Ri chuckles good-naturedly. "Swimming, picking berries, camping under the stars… Those things are good too. It's good for seasons to change." Then, with a look of soft content, he adds almost to himself, "Everything changes."

I stare at him for a long while until I eventually realize how my fingers have tightened between his and his eyes rise to meet mine. He blinks at me, tilting his head inquiringly without saying a word. He doesn't have to say anything for me to know he wants to know what's on my mind, and I can't contain the words that pass my lips. "Ri…" I voice softly, shuffling closer to him. "How much do you think is going to change after our exam?"

I hate having to reveal it: My fear of change.

He looks at me with surprise, but it only lasts for a brief second until his eyes shine with compassionate understanding. Tugging me even closer—enough so that our shoulders touch—he gives a pure and honest answer. "I don't really know," he says calmly. "But I know we won't change. And the way I feel about you won't change."

"Ri, be serious," I press, bumping my hip gently against his side. Still, my face ignites with a light blush at this and the slight flirtation is enough to put me a bit more at ease.

He snorts, but goes on, "They're not going to kick us out of the Guild as soon as we pass, Lira. We'll have time to adjust if we need it, and we'll still be free to live at the Guild even if we're not apprentices there." He then reminds me in a murmur with a quiet note of disgruntlement, "We still have to pay our Guild fees, after all…"

I chuckle. He rarely shows anything but utter joy at being in Wigglytuff's Guild, but even he can't help but feel somewhat miffed by the ridiculous fees for members. We've always done well for ourselves despite it though, so it hasn't been much of a worry for us. "To be honest, I completely forgot about that."

He nods, and then adds, "Team Salacious was allowed to come with us on our expedition even though they graduated, so I don't see why we wouldn't be allowed to go on others. Maybe we could even lead a few so there will be more of them. And we're not going to lose our friends either because of graduating. We'll still get to do all we've been doing." Skidding us both to a halt, he pauses for a moment to run his hand through my hair in a consoling manner. "We're just growing up."

I raise his hand and pull it to my chest, smiling peacefully. I haven't felt this at ease since we were first told about our exam. Really, I should talk to him more about my concerns. We're in this together, after all. "Thank you," I manage to whisper, taking in a relaxed breath.

The peace of the moment, however, is soon lost as a sky-born snowball interrupts us and strikes Ri in the back of the head. The both of us yelp in surprise as it hits, and we look to the side to find both Marill and Azurill now standing on the large pile of snow—with a pile of snowballs sitting in between their snickering forms.

Ri and I look back to one another mischievously in silent agreement before darting from the icy pond and back onto solid ground to engage them in a mock battle, taking cover behind a pine tree. In the midst of flying snowballs, all worries are lost. Today is just about us having fun. Tomorrow—and the rest of the week—will be all about preparing ourselves for the day of our exam. We're going to work hard for it, and when we pass we'll leave the rest of our days up to fate to decide.


	5. Chapter 5: Peculiar Opponents

We've done all of our packing, our planning, our preparing. We've checked and double-checked our map for what route to take and what the layout of the land was like. For a week, we set all of our jobs aside in order to train non-stop. We've made sure to eat well and get plenty of sleep; to maintain the peak of health and have everything ready for our short journey.

My heart is fluttering like the wings of a bird as we make our way through Mystifying Forest, and I ring the strap of our Treasure Bag nervously. What we've faced so far hasn't been anything compared to the horrible, several story climb up Temporal Tower and I'm still confident in our chances of passing our exam, I can't help but feel that most of my bravado from yesterday and the days prior is gone. I don't know why, but there's something about all of this _being_ a test that just gnaws away at my nerves.

From the way Ri keeps on fiddling with his Relic Fragment, I think he's thinking the same thing…

Or maybe it's the calm itself that's foreboding. The weather is pleasant and everything is green: On any other day this whole area would've been the type of place that Ri and I might've enjoyed exploring in for fun—picking berries or having a picnic. What few Pokemon show signs of hostility are pretty weak and are easily chased off. This just doesn't feel like the kind of place where our skills _would_ be tested: It feels more like the kind of place Pokemon would want to settle a town in and raise crops.

But the numbers of Pokemon living here eventually start to dwindle and stone slabs are brought up in their place. Carved with footprint runes, Ri is easily able to transcribe them as signs and structures from an ancient time. When we make it to a large clearing with multiples of the slabs, we pause for a quick drink of water. We know we're getting close.

"We've come a long ways into the forest," Ri says, handing me a canteen and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Luminous Spring must be coming up."

"Along with the so-called, 'Grand Master of all Things Bad,'" I reply after taking a swing and closing the cap. " _If_ he even exists, that is." No matter how I might feel about the exam, the matter of the crime boss remains highly suspect.

Everyone's been secretive about him from the beginning, and those that haven't been secretive have acted like they have no idea what we're talking about when we've tried asking around. Now that we're finally here, and seeing how peaceful Mystifying Forest actually is, the idea of any sort of criminal living nearby seems off. Just what was the Guildmaster thinking when he sent us out here?

"Oh! Ri! Lira!" the familiar voice of a young girl greets. We both spin on our heel to find Teddiursa and Ursaring walking up the same path we just did moments earlier. Seeing them, I remember their having mentioned trying to come back to the Mystifying Forest after the weather got better: It's quite a coincidence though that they just so happened to travel here on the same day as us.

"Hey, Teddiursa and Ursaring!" Ri waves, "You're here too!"

"Yup!"

"Like we said, we often come to play here," Ursaring says. "So what's up? Did you see you're 'Grand Master of All Things Bad'?" I can't fight back the smirk that forms at the obvious sarcasm in his words.

Bristling a bit—from a mix of anxiousness, dismay, and embarrassment if his aura is anything to go by—Ri answers, "No, nothing like that."

"Unless you count a Rattata that got mad at you for stepping on his tail as the lord of all evil," I quip with a light snort.

"See?" Ursaring grins, chortling, "I told you that you only heard a rumor."

"Why are you two here?" his little sister asks, fumbling with an armload of wildflowers she must've gathered on the way here. "Are you in search of that Grand Master?"

Ri gives a single shake of his head and he reigns in his emotions to make a better show of confidence. "No, we're not. We're trying to find Luminous Spring." Really though, finding it shouldn't be that much of an issue for us. Though at this point our map is practically useless, the way pretty much shows itself and we can use our aura to guide us if we have to.

"Oh, Luminous Spring?" she questions before beaming with all the success a child can bear knowing something over her seniors. She points off further into the forest, in the direction we already intended to follow. "That's just up ahead here. In fact, we're on our way there. Want to come with us?"

Raising a basket full of foods pointedly, the other echoes in further invitation, "Yeah, come with us if you want. It's a big day for Teddiursa here, so the more the merrier."

Bouncing excitedly at this, she soon runs off and gives her brother no choice but to chase after her with only a short goodbye to us before we can question them further. I shoot Ri a confused glance, "A big day?"

He shrugs, "I guess that he meant evolution. A lot Pokemon like to celebrate when they evolve for the first time." His brows then twitch into a confused expression of his own. "But Guildmaster Wigglytuff said that Pokemon couldn't evolve at Luminous Spring anymore. I wish we could've told them that before they ran off: Who knows how disappointed Teddiursa would be if it's true."

I bite my lower lip as that realization hits. I still might not know enough about the Pokemon world to understand the full gravity of such a thing, but I can well imagine how frustrating that would be. And Teddiursa seemed pretty hyped over it too… For her sake, I hope all goes well.

"Let's go with them, Lira." Shaking off the negative thought, Ri offers his hand to me and we begin to walk together.

However, no sooner have we made our first few steps after them in pursuit does the ground give away beneath us. There's no usual, telltale sign, and so we're unprepared for the sudden weightlessness from falling. Our screams overlap one another's and I feel myself being pulled guardedly to Ri's chest—his arms enveloping me in a tight embrace. I try to keep hold of our Treasure Bag all the while for fear of losing anything important.

A few seconds later and we're greeted by the unforgiving ground. Having shielded me from most of the fall, Ri strikes against the earth first and I'm sent rolling from his hold as he releases a yelp of pain. Shaking off my initial daze in my panic, I quickly push myself up onto my hands and knees to check if he's alright. He releases a heavy groan, but I sigh, relieved, when I find he doesn't seem to have any major injuries. Considering how deep the pit is and how steep the walls of it are, I doubt we'd be able to climb back up if either of us broke a bone. As it is, getting out might still be a struggle.

But this makes no sense! It's obvious that this isn't a sinkhole—the walls are too well carved for that and there was far too little soil to have covered one. Blinking up at the bright, midday sun pouring from the hole above, I see that its shape is also far too perfect. And as Ri looks around, I find that he's reached the same conclusion as I have. "Th-this is…"

"A pitfall trap," I finish with a faint nod, my features turning grim as I get onto my feet. We fell down a pitfall trap: That's what happened to us…

Before either of us can run to the walls in attempts to climb out, we hear the shuffling of leaves above and the confined space swiftly begins to grow dim around us.

"Oh no…" His eyes widening in fright, Ri exclaims, "The hole! The hole's closing up!" And an instant later, we're surrounded by nothing but silence and darkness. "It's pitch black—I can't see a thing! Are we trapped down here?"

"Not for long!" I begin to form an Aura Sphere in my hands, igniting enough light so we can make each other out in the overwhelming depth of the encompassing shadows. Having stood right beneath the hole, I know just where to aim, and it shouldn't take an all that powerful blast to apart the cover. Yet something trickles in the back of my mind that makes me hesitate from releasing the sphere from my hands.

And I soon realize that it's my aura telling me that we're not alone down here.

A wicked laugh in a gruff tenor rebounds across the walls to reach us, making it impossible to tell what direction the sound is coming from. In natural sync, Ri and I stand back-to-back at the ready. Ri forms his Bone Staff while I maintain my Aura Sphere and continue to siphon my energy into it. Our momentary lapse of panic is gone: We're back to being the exploration team we've always been.

"Who's there?" Ri demands in a stern tone, his fingers laced in a firm grip around his staff. "Who are you?!"

"Welcome," the voice chuckles evilly, "to the world of darkness, for I am the Grand Master of All Things Bad!"

…This cannot be legit…

But the proclamation stirs fright anew within Ri, and he stutters noticeably as he repeats the title. I, on the other hand, have gotten so tired with this charade or whatever this is that I've stopped caring whether he's the Grand Master of All Things Bad, the Duke of the Twelfth Dimension, or the Ruler of Ludicolo's Taco Stand. I just want to get this entire thing over with.

"Not only is there the Grand Master," another, shrill voice giggles in a mocking, sing-song tone, "but more of us besides!"

"A _bunch_ of us minions of the Grand Master are here!" adds another in a loud bass.

"You can't see us in the dark," continues a third, which I think comes from just behind me, "but you're completely surrounded!"

The 'Grand Master' laughs once more, overpowering the joining snickers of his lackeys. "Coming to our lair will be the last mistake you ever make," he sneers, "You're not walking out of here." As we here the shuffle of feet around us, Ri and I press closer to one another and brace ourselves to attack, so that whoever draws near first is destined to get a blast of aura to the face. And if we use what we've been learning, we might be able to repel most of them should they all try to attack us at once.

"Now, prepare to—!"

The crime boss is interrupted as the noisy rustling of leaves fills the air once again and the hole gradually grows lighter. I blink rapidly in an effort to fight the biting glare that suddenly invades my vision—little dots dancing across my line of sight until my eyes finally have the chance to readjust. For all of my doubts though, I'm stunned by the people that I find truly surrounding us in place of a 'Grand Master' and his minions…

Standing directly in front of us, with a funnel held up to his mouth, is none other than the Guildmaster himself. To his right stands Loudred and to his left stands Chatot, and so on and so on we find every single one of the other apprentices filling in the space around us. Well, all except for Bidoof—who's nowhere to be found. All of them, however, seem just as stunned and Ri and myself, their cover having been—literally—blown.

"Wigglytuff…" Ri balks, his mouth hung partly open in bewilderment. He lowers his Bone Staff a bit as he then gazes at the others accusingly, "And everyone else?! What's going on here?!"

None of them answer, and are only able to respond with flitting stares and awkward faces.

Finally though, Chatot turns away to yell frustratingly up at the hole—his feathers ruffled and disheveled, "H-hey, Bidoof! Why did you take the cover off?!"

And to answer my earlier wonder, I see the Normal-type's familiar, boyish face looking sheepishly and guiltily down at us from above. "B-but I thought it would be too dark down there for you all, so I opened it up." His voice is so small we can barely even hear him. As he continues, he backs away a bit to try and hide himself along the edge of the hole. "M-maybe I did something I shouldn't have… Uh, helping out with the graduation exam and all… This is all so new to me, I don't have the foggiest idea about what I should be doing…"

"What a farce…" Chatot groans, lowering his head in disgruntlement. In the moment, I can't resist a sorry smile for Bidoof: I don't want to know what sort of lecture he might get from the Flying-type over this.

"Say, Wigglytuff," Ri interrupts with a cough of discomfort, almost evaporating his Bone Staff altogether. "Can you please tell us what's going on?"

What that said, all eyes fall on the Guildmaster. I'd like to know too. Why put on this entire show if we were just supposed to fight them? Or better yet, why do we even have to fight _them_ at all?

Everything goes quiet as he looks over us all, biting the inside of his mouth in thought. Though it's irksome, none of us attempt to say anything as we wait for his reply. Arceus, I don't even know what any of us would say to begin with… Eventually, however, Wigglytuff slowly raised the funnel once more to his lips.

"Who's… Wigglytuff?" he asks with a perfectly straight face as that unnatural tenor of the 'Grand Master' reverberates out of the funnel.

"What?!" Our synched shout of befuddlement is layered by the underlying echo of confusion from the rest of the apprentices. Just what is he trying to do?! There's no point in pretending anymore: We can see him clear as day!

"I am the Grand Master!" he boasts with a facade of villainy, pointing a finger at us two with his free hand as his eyes narrow. "I know nothing of your so-called Wigglytuff!"

" _What?!"_ The cry is made again, this time just from Ri. As for me, I feel my brows start to twitch from the insanity of the whole situation.

Picking up the cue, Chatot spins around and flusters to reclaim his own role. "T-That's right! And we're the Grand Master's minions!" Normally I would probably laugh at the effort someone as serious as Chatot could make to keep up an already failed act, but right now it's just kind of giving me a headache—especially as the others soon begin to follow suit.

"W-what's going on here…?" Ri mumbles to me, finally just accepting that they would drop the charade.

"We're beginning to wonder what we should've questioned from the start," I mutter jokingly, "Why in the world do we live with these people?" Deep down though, I don't know how we're going to manage this fight. By that, I mean I don't know how we can fight our friends on a serious level. We've sparred with them before, yes, but that's nothing compared to a full-on battle. I know that neither of us would want to seriously hurt them, and knocking them out is pretty much out of the question.

Still, they wouldn't have taken their fake identities if they didn't want us to fight them seriously. We won't have much of a choice but to give it all we've got. So, for their time being, they're our enemies.

"Coming to our lair will be the last mistake you ever make," Wigglytuff—or in this case, the 'Grand Master'—picks up from where he left off last. "You're not walking out of here, so prepare to face the terror that is the Grand Master of All Things Bad!" He flings the funnel off to the side as he takes in a large breath and we brace ourselves for his famed move.

With a mighty Hyper Voice, the battle begins.


	6. Chapter 6: Against the Guild

Maybe we didn't expect to stand against sheer numbers, but we've dealt with enough Monster Houses to know how to handle them—not to mention all of our fights with gangs and Dusknoir's Sableye. We're not the same two kids that needed saving in the Amp Plains: We've gained a lot of experience since then.

Of course, it helps that the people we're fighting aren't out for blood this time. But besides that our Guildmates are fighting us with all seriousness, and it's very likely that a good few of them are willing to risk knocking us out in the very least to test us to the most of our limits. As a result, Ri and I don't have much of a choice but to meet their blows with the same determination.

Chatot, Sunflora, and Diglett come at me in unison—each using Mirror Move, Petal Dance, and Mud Bomb respectively—and I stretch the orb of aura in my hands to create a sort of arched barrier to block the ranged attacks before sending the wave their way with a fluid jab of my open palms. I've found that starting off strong in a battle is a sort of habit of mine, but I doubt that's why they retreat back in flustered surprise. We may have all sparred with one another to have grasped an understanding of each other's strategies and techniques, but fighting with aura rather than specific moves is a tactic only Ri and I have practiced with alone. I smirk: With this being our graduation exam, I suppose that now is as good a time as any for these newfound abilities of ours to make their grand debut.

"Be sure not to overdo it," Ri reminds me through clenched teeth as though reading my thoughts, shoving Loudred back with his Bone Staff before twisting it in his hands to strike against the other's ankles to momentarily stun him. I know; I shouldn't rely heavily on my powers unless I want to burn out all of my energy as a result. It's just a nice advantage to have in a pinch.

As the apprentices face us for the first series of attacks, I spot the Guildmaster hanging back. He'll be the toughest of our opponents, and we have no idea what he's capable of because we've never actually had a training session in which we sparred against him. I wonder what's running through that insane mind of his: What is he planning to do and holding back for?

Then I remember that the Guildmaster is rumored to use Sing. His Hyper Voice might be powerful, but if he uses that move it'll put both Ri and I out of commission for a good while—and possibly put us out of the fight completely. He must be using the others as a distraction while he prepares to use that move!

Jumping away a swift attack from Sunflora and beyond Ri's protection to my left, I reach into our Treasure Bag and pull out a Sleep Seed. Better to turn the tables now before they get turned on us. My intuition proves true as Wigglytuff starts the dire song, and I vault the seed in my hand—guided by my aura—into his mouth. He startles for a moment as it lands beyond his tongue before swallowing it on instinct, and the effect is instantaneous. Our Guildmaster is put into a deep sleep.

Oh Arceus, I just used a Sleep Seed on the Guildmaster… I did it for the sake of the battle, but the realization of what I've done is pretty rattling in itself. So much that I'm unprepared for the strike to my back and am thrust to my knees by the force that tears a pained, surprised yelp from me at it hits its mark. I look over my shoulder to see Croagunk standing behind me with a look of satisfaction and a hand raised from using Poison Jab. He may not fight much, but he's tough and he always fights to win.

Fortunately for me if I had been poisoned I'd already feel it working into my system, but as with any other Fighting-type a Poison-type attack can really do some damage—and I took every bit of it. As he lunges at me to attack with the same move, I launch myself into the air and quickly use Copycat to mimic Diglett's Mud Bomb. However, Croagunk uses his own version of the same move from the ground, and blocks my strike with the blast.

As I land a short distance away on my feet, both he and I are caught by surprise by Corphish's blurred form tumbling between us before collapsing in a groaning heap on the far side of pit, and then again as a third Mud Bomb is soon after fired upon Croagunk. Unprepared for it, our senior is knocked back and blinded in a cloud of dust. I turn sideways to find Ri retaking his place at my side, and I give him a curt nod in thanks.

No words pass between us though as we're forced into action yet again—this time by Dugtrio as he uses Earth Power. We jump in sync to avoid the rupturing blast, and learn all too late of the trap that awaits us. For the few seconds we're in the air, we can't dodge anything. Having recovered from my first strike and taking advantage of our brief immobility, Sunflora uses Petal Dance yet again.

I do the only thing I can think of to counter it, and grab the vividly pink shape of a Persim berry from our bag—holding it between my teeth—to help me through the inevitable state of confusion that would follow. Spinning my body around I use Copycat once more to mimic the Grass-type attack, creating a vortex effect around me and using my aura to guide Sunflora's petals into my own hurricane of pink blooms. Even though—at the center of it all—I do get hit, the resulting force pulls redirects Sunflora's attack away from Ri and helps build the power of my own. And when I do vault the petals in a scattered storm not even Diglett and Dugtrio have enough time to dive underground in order to avoid it. The others are left on defense as they brace themselves against the whirlwind of the flowers, but next to Corphish the father-son pair face the greatest weakness to the attack. Inevitably, both are taken out by the doubled strength of the Petal Dance.

"Lira, Blast Seed!" I hear Ri shout as I descend from the dizzying winds I had formed second prior. I answer by reaching into our Treasure Bag and pulling one free from the collection of items—what luck it was that we hadn't landed on them during the fall. Ri's there to catch me before I land, and no sooner to I feel his arms around me do I toss him the seed as I'm dumped onto my feet. I bite down upon the berry, tearing away a hearty piece with my canines and swallowing it whole in my need to recover quickly. For a second, it catches in my throat before finally passing on and liberating me from the muddling side-effect.

The sudden movement of a black and blue form is a telltale sign for me—I didn't expect a Grass-type move to keep him down for very long anyway—and this time I'm ready for Croagunk as he jumps at me to attempt to use the best move in his arsenal once more. I wait until the last possible moment to fall to my back and capture him by the wrists, flinging him over me and into Chimecho as I use Circle Throw before rolling back into a guarded stance while kneeling upon the earth.

The feeling of success that follows as the Blast Seed goes off near Sunflora—downing her—and Chatot is short lived as Loudred uses Uproar. Mine and Ri's sensitive ears prick back at the noise and my fur jolts up in reaction, but above the irritation and throbbing pain in my skull is a hanging worry that falls over me as I watch Wigglytuff finally stir from the induced sleep I had placed him in. Uproar could shake even a Snorlax out of a deep slumber, and on top of that it prevents anyone from sleeping. Even if I got another chance to try to fish out a second Sleep Seed, it would be useless.

We have to finish this up soon before either we pass out from Uproar or the Guildmaster gets the upper-hand.

I let out an instinctual growl of discomfort as the pain worsens. Flitting my gaze to Ri I find him too distracted from his own anguish and well as from dealing with Chatot to fight the other ones remaining, and behind me Chimecho recovers from under Croagunk's unconsciousness form to swoop toward my back while using Double-Edge. Rolling out of the way in the nick of time, I prepare one of my usual Aura Spheres and fire it at Loudred.

There's one more thing about Uproar: Using it prevents you from using any other move in the interim.

The sphere hits true to its mark and Loudred is easily taken out of the fight. From the parrot-like squawk that follows and sign of a yellow and green feather floating down from the air, I assume Ri's dealt with Chatot as well—which leaves us with Chimecho as she tries to use Extrasensory on us both.

Between both of our Aura attacks, it isn't long she falls to the ground as well. Although, she's never enjoyed fighting and has always either stuck to chores or finding lost items and Pokemon for jobs, so I can't help but wonder if she just gave up in the end.

Wigglytuff does awaken—albeit somewhat groggily—and although we likely could've held him back with aura just as I did Dialga at Temporal Tower, I guess we're both so caught up in the fight and horrified by whatever the Guildmaster has in store that we react without really thinking. Before he even has the chance to attack, Ri and I both use Force Palm to keep him down. And were it not for the fact that he was still a bit sleepy, I don't know if I he would've _stayed_ down...

It takes a drawn out moment of silence before we finally let our guard down enough to catch our breath, standing in the midst of our fallen Guild-mates in a sheepish manner as the reality of the fight sinks in. We've never faced any of them on so intense a level before, and to face them all at once… Well, I'm not the only Riolu with a good share of scuffs and scrapes after this.

Still, I can't help my guilty wonders as the other apprentices fail to get back into their feet. "Do y' 'fink," I begin to ask Ri before removing the Persim Berry from where I still had it caught between my teeth, "we might've overdone it?"

It's as if he was waiting for either of us to say something like that, for the Guildmaster raises a shaky hand in the air, panting in an almost exaggerated manner, and says breathlessly, "Th-they… they got me…"

Both of us jump, startled, as he suddenly gets onto his feet and rushes past us both with a burst of speed, screaming, "Everyone! Run away!" We watch, stupefied, as a rope is thrown down the pit by Bidoof from above and with the Guildmaster leading each of the others follow in the act—squealing at the top of their lungs as they grow more and more distant—just not before we hear a note of laughter following above the cries before they're completely gone.

It's my partner who snaps me out of my daze as he takes my hand that holds the Persim Berry to take a bite out of the fruit himself in a playful manner. "I think they'll be fine," he answers after swallowing, "and I don't think we'll have to deal with a 'Grand Master' anymore."

I sputter before releasing an exhausted laugh, leaning upon him for support. He braces me like that for only a moment before ensnaring me at the waist and spinning me around in his arms while I envelop mine across his shoulders—and we're both laughing. Maybe it's the ridiculousness of the exam, or our Guildmates and their strange performance as a gang of villains, or the wave of relief mixed with uncertainty that hits us for having beaten them, be we laugh until we fall out of breath for a second time. Ri falls back upon the ground with me still in his hold, and we lie still as we try to recompose ourselves.

"What was that even all about?" he chortles in my ear, quivering from mirth.

"I don't even know!" I giggle, trying to suppress it and snag a bit of air. "I think… I've given up trying to figure the Guildmaster out."

But anyway, we beat him. We beat him and passed the worst part of our exam. Now all that's left for us to do is get the treasure at Luminous Spring and it'll be over.

Team Crusade will have finally graduated…

As we rest, Ri runs his fingers through my hair absentmindedly and I hum in content as I snuggle up to him. If we weren't stuck in a pit, if it weren't for the hours ticking by and Teddiursa and Ursaring waiting for us—undoubtedly wondering what happened to us for us to fall so far behind them—I could stay like this for a while. But our exam still isn't over just yet. We passed the worst part: Now all that's left for us to do is get the treasure from this place and it'll be over.

Team Crusade will have finally graduated…

"Well, anyway, I guess it's all right." The sweet moment fades all too soon as Ri eventually speaks and we help each other up. They left the rope ladder, so we can make our way out of here just fine. "We should move on… Let's go to Luminous Spring."


	7. Chapter 7: Luminous Spring

The downhill journey to Luminous Spring is as uneventful as when we first arrived, and I can only assume that Wigglytuff, Chatot, and the other apprentices have already gone back home. The climb back isn't going be as much fun as the walk down, but luckily for our aching muscles we don't have much farther to go and it takes no time at all before we run into Teddiursa and Ursaring again. Calling us to their attention with a shout and a strained wave, Ri is the first to reach the end of the faint slope of the hill. What catches my sight most though is the small, golden chest sitting between them.

"What happened to you two?" Ursaring asks with a raised brow, his eyes roaming over us as he spots our injuries. "I thought you two were tagging along right behind us..." Teddiursa nods along to this, her head now adorned with a flower crown made from her earlier collection.

"Uh…" Ri steals a brief glance at me, but all I can offer him is an awkward shrug to match his awkward smile. Even though we couldn't make up what happened if we tried, it's hard to imagine anyone believing us. Not to mention that the absurd nature of our exam likely wouldn't bring a good word for the Guild if it got out. I mean, who'd be able to take us seriously knowing we performed that kind of charade? Better it be a Guild secret, I guess.

"There was just…um… something came up. Anyway!" Apparently feeling this as well, Ri is quick to change subjects, eying the chest with intrigue. "What are you doing?"

"Well, you see, there's this treasure box here."

Ursaring motions to it, but before he can continue to explain anything Teddiursa steps in and does so for him. "There wasn't a treasure box here before. I want to open it, but I'm also getting a creepy feeling from it." She shivers a bit, as though it illustrate.

With a hand on his hip, her brother adds, "You know, it'd be nasty if it's a booby trap or something, so we've been debating whether we should open it or leave it be."

Almost undoubtedly it's the treasure we're looking for, and since no one else has found it in so obvious a place I can only assume that someone from the Guild left it here on purpose. It's the same conclusion that Ursaring reaches as Ri explains the details of our exam to him, and they step aside to let us open the box for ourselves.

Nevertheless, we do er on the side of caution. We could be wrong about the chest being meant for us and who knows what sort of thing the Guildmaster would think of putting in here if it us. It could be a trap. Even though Ri asks me to do so, he doesn't have to for me to sit in front of the chest and steel myself for the shot of pain and trance-like state that comes with using the Dimensional Scream.

I've gotten better at controlling it: The visions that appear to me are much more coherent than they used to be and I've been able to get it to activate according to my will. It's just the sudden pain and dizziness that I still haven't gotten used to, as if someone had struck my skull with a hammer. The world gives away around my and soon enough I find myself in momentary suspension as a scene plays out before my eyes:

 _I see the very clearing we're standing in at nightfall, with only the moon to illuminate the dark landscape of the forest. All is silent for a bit until, eventually, I see unmistakable figure of Guildmaster Wigglytuff enter. He's careful, quiet, even though there's no one else around to see or hear him, as he sets down the very same chest from the present and looks around for any sign of disturbance in the shadows before taking off back the way he came._

It must be my smile that gives it away as my mind returns to the present, for the Ri and the pair of siblings wait around me eagerly to open the chest before I can even tell them anything. As evidenced by the wagging of my tail and perked ears, I can hardly contain my own curiosity over what's inside. And so I don't, failing to hesitate for another second as I click open the latch and flip up the lid. Ri snorts behind me, and I bite my lip to battle the sarcasm that threatens to pass my lips. I don't know what I was expecting, but what's inside is the least of the surprises we've had for today.

Inside is the one 'treasure' we've always known the Guildmaster to value more than silver and gold: A Perfect Apple.

The full nature of our mirth maybe lost on the other two, but if Wigglytuff's stockpile of them and the Kecleon Brother's never having them in stock are anything to go by then they can get a fair idea of why it's there.

For us, the true surprise appears when sunlight breaks through the overcast sky to shine with a might beyond logic upon the surface of the water further ahead, upon Luminous Spring. I see now how the place got its name, for not only does the clear water seem to shimmer but where the ray of sun meets it there is a sort of illusion created that makes it appear are though the light was born from the spring itself. It's beautiful.

With it having little to do with our exam though, I wouldn't have expected Wigglytuff to have fibbed about light never shining on the spring after the incident with the Time Gears. The Guild's information regarding this sort of thing is hardly ever wrong, but we can't easily deny what's right in front of us. If it is really possible that Pokemon can evolve here, then there has to be some other reason for it beyond a lack of light for the spring to have stopped working.

"What is that?" Ri whispers as I snap the latch back shut. He moves closer to the water's edge as I rise to my feet and carry the chest in my arms.

"Light's shining down…"

"Oh, then maybe!" Teddiursa tilts her head, pulling on her brother's arm with building excitement, "Did Luminous Spring regain its power?!"

How though? I can't imagine this suddenly happening at random, and I don't see anyone else around. None of us did anything, that's for certain.

I assumed we were alone anyway, but as we four move closer to the spring as a group a whisper of a voice—neither male nor female—seems to hail from all around us. "Those that seek awakening… The resumption of time…has brought light here again…" Startled, I move closer to Ri and we both move closer to the two Normal-types protectively as Ursaring holds his little sister close to him. Just what sort of place is this?

"But time's been restored to this area for some time now," I address to Ri softly, looking around for a source to the voice without success, "Right?" He nods, sharing my questioning gaze. It remains a wonder to us both that only now has that seemed to register for the land itself.

"If you seek evolution," the whisper continues, "step forward."

"I knew it!" Jumping despite her brother's hold on her, Teddiursa manages to shake him off as she rushes forward. "I knew that Luminous Spring could be revived!" I find myself sighing in the place of my earlier worry, glad to see that all ended well for the young Pokemon.

For a moment it seems as though Ursaring is about to stop her from rushing forward into the light pouring from above, sending droplets of clear water flying as she runs toward the center of the shallow pool. But he slowly retracts his hand, and a bittersweet kind of smile begins to creep upon his features. "Good for you, Teddiursa. You've been looking forward to evolution for a long time!" She giggles, giving an excited nod, before slowing to a stop at the heart of the beam.

Except for Grovyle and Dusknoir from my future as a trainer, I can't remember ever seeing a Pokemon evolve before. The thought of the tiny and cuddly cub changing into a strong behemoth like Ursaring is, well, a bit baffling. I watch on silently as it all begins, as though it were a sacred ceremony.

"Those that seek awakening…" the voice repeats as we watch on intensely, "This is Luminous Spring. Do you seek to evolve?"

Teddiursa nods rapidly in answer, drawing her fists to her sides as she holds her head high and puffs out her small chest with pride. From what I know, her species doesn't need any items to evolve, and there shouldn't be any other special requirements that she needs. Like most Pokemon, all she should need is to be strong enough in both body and spirit to handle the transformation.

Which takes place within seconds. A soft glow envelops her body before she is consumed entirely by a white light. I can hardly make out her shape within the blinding glare, but slowly I begin to see it morph and bend—reaching up to her brother's impressive height. The contour of her padded hands changes into that of sharp claws. Her flat nose stretches into a longer snout. Her head rests upon a set of broad shoulders.

As though having shattered glass, the light then dissipates into thin air around her as we stare in awe. Her fur has grown much darker than previously—matching her brother's own—and there's actually very few signs to tell the two siblings apart beyond the newly evolved Ursaring's longer eyelashes and thinner, more feminine waistline. If it weren't for the crown of flowers that still remains on her head, it would be almost impossible to tell which one is which at a mere glance.

Even with her more formidable appearance, she still maintains her childlike charm. With a squeal of glee, she runs before her brother and beams, "Hey, Ursaring! I've evolved!"

"Congratulations! All of the training you went through finally paid off," he nods, nearly pulling her head to his chest in a hug by instinct before recalling their now similar heights. He settles instead for clapping her on the shoulder. With an awkward grin, he gives voice to my earlier thoughts, "Now it's hard to tell us apart… But good for you!"

Ri and I both chuckle to this. However, as I turn to face him to find his eyes sparkling, I know what he's thinking before he can even say a word.

"We should try evolving too, Lira!"

As usual, he's quick to pick up on my reluctance. By all technical means, a Riolu can evolve into a Lucario even if they're toddling around in a world still so new to them: There's no mark of maturity or physical condition that we have to meet. What matters most in our evolution is how well we've learned to control ourselves spiritually. From what Ri has told me, there isn't really a defined pattern to it except our kind always seems to evolve during the day. The only other similarity is that Riolu often evolve in the heat of a fight—usually in a case where they're trying to prove themselves, impress another, or protect someone. With our experience, I think Ri and I would make decent candidates for evolution. Of course, I'm not ready to evolve just yet though. We just got through with our exam and I want to take things one step at a time. Not to mention that there's something about using the spring that makes it seem somewhat unnatural.

His enthusiasm drops as it reads into my aura signature, but I offer him a soft smile in return. It may sound silly but, to be honest, I imagined that when we finally evolved that we would do it together—even as unlikely as it would be. Yet if this is something he really wants, I won't voice against it. We can't always do everything together anyway. "I think I'll wait for a little longer," I confirm with a small shrug, "but you can go on ahead."

"But—"

"Think of it this way," I tease him before this can turn into a pointless argument, "You can reach the shelves that I can't after you evolve."

He blinks at me for a moment, frozen, before he releases a good-natured snort. Maybe he understands that I won't move on this either, because he says nothing except through the calm, tender look he gives me and slowly steps forward into the light while the pair of Ursarings move away for him.

It's ironic when I think of how weird it'll be to see him in his evolved state with as many times as I've already seen him as a Lucario—particularly when I think about how I knew him as that first.

The whispering voice asks him the same things that it asked Teddiursa, and Ri answers them in a more nervous, jittery manner. I continue to give him a reassuring smile, trying to ease his anxiety away for him with my gaze since I can't stand at his side during the process. There's a long pause and the air stills, before the voice speaks a second time with something unexpected.

"No. Impossible… You may not evolve."

My grin fades into such a look of shock it's as though someone's slapped me. To my right, the Normal-types also share in mine and Ri's bewilderment. What…? What could that mean? We don't need anything to evolve, Ri and I have mastered our aura better than any Riolu we've ever heard of, and have trained our butts off! It's more for the sake of my disappointed love that I find my voice rising indignantly, "What do you mean he can't evolve?!"

In contrast to my miffed feelings, Ri's words are spoken much more timidly, "Is it maybe because I haven't met my requirements for evolving?" I might be bias, but I see no reason why he wouldn't have already.

"No, that is not it…" the voice answers, much to our further confusion, "It is not merely a problem of not meeting requirements…"

"Then why?" He rings his hands in slight distress, and I subconsciously begin to step closer to him. I can sense it clearly, a worry that there's something wrong with him in particular—but I know that's not true. "Teddiursa was able to evolve… Why can't I evolve?"

"Why can you not evolve…?" it echoes, "It may be influenced by a distortion in the fabric of space…"

"Distortion?" he repeats, his brows furrowing, "The fabric of space?" I share his expression, though my mind instantly wonders if it may have something to do with our time travelling. In that case, Grovyle won't be able to evolve into a Sceptile if he wants too… The thought of this affecting even more of the people I care about sends a shot of remorse through me. When I think about it some more though, that still can't make sense! Ri was a Lucario even after we saved Temporal Tower in the future I came from as a trainer! Just what could be wrong…?

"Why that should be, I do not know…" the voice continues, a bit of a solemn note taking hold of its usual monotone. "But your presence… is somehow related to the distortion of space itself. And as a result of that, you cannot evolve."

I grimace. We _fixed_ the time anomalies and protected the planet: How could we have distorted it when it was already spiraling into chaos without our involvement?

"No. It is not only you… There is yet another…" A sudden burst of wind ripples against me pointedly, and my eyes widen in shock—though the meaning of this is already clear to me before it can elaborate further. "The one behind you… is also forbidden her evolution."

"Lira too?!"

Me too… I didn't want to evolve right now, but the way it's phrased… _Forbidden_ … Does that mean we might never evolve? It wouldn't worry me so much were it not for the future I've hoped to have with Ri. Someday reaching the pinnacle of our potential as Aura Guardians, getting married, starting a family… There is so much we can't do if we don't evolve at some point. I feel my heart catch in my throat, and wrap my arms tighter around the chest in my grasp.

"That is all I can tell… This is Luminous Spring. If you seek new evolution, then you shall return."

With that, the light surrounding us then fades. I know it's just my imagination, but it feels so much darker than it did before that same light had appeared.

If I can't evolve, I might never have a family with Ri… That single, startling realization shakes me to my core above everything else. For some reason I find my vision beginning to blur, and my spirit wells in outrage at how unfair it is!

"Looks like it's not just me…" Ri murmurs to himself, downcast, but seeing me in my rarely public state of weakness he walks over to embrace me, "I don't understand why we're not allowed to evolve though."

I wish we at least knew that much. I take a deep breath in attempts to steady my shaky emotions, hugging him back as I hide my face within his shoulder. What could be different since I came back to this time? Why can't we evolve?

Ursaring clears his throat, beckoning for our attention, but as we look up at him any words of comfort he might've given us are lost in awkward silence. It is his sister who speaks up in his place, giving us both a kind smile as she steps forward and asks, "Hey, Lira… I don't think it's good if my brother and I both go by 'Ursaring,' so do you think you could think of a nickname for me please?"

I can't help but chuckle at that, despite how I feel. She's right: Their duel appearances are confusing enough. "That's fine," I answer, but there's just one thing that confuses me. "But why do you want me to give you a nickname? Wouldn't you like to give yourself a name instead?"

"That's not really how Pokemon usually do it," Ri chortles in my ear, to which both Hibernator Pokemon nod in agreement. Nevertheless, the request still throws me off a bit. No one's ever asked me a thing like that before and it's not like I've ever put much use into nicknames except for Ri and when I was a little girl.

When I can't reply, lost in my musings, she adds, "I heard that humans were good with names, since you always go by them. Surely you can think of a pretty one for me."

I give her a faint grin as I try to sort out a name from my relatively short list. That is, until my eye catches sight of a particularly vibrant, violet wildflower standing out in the crown on her head. "Iris…" I say softly, and the name just rolls off of my tongue. "What about Iris?" It seems fitting for her to be named after a flower she wore during her evolution, and the flower itself is a symbol of hope—the very thing she's trying to mend within Ri and I through the momentary distraction.

She beams at me, giggling, as her brother gives a nod of approval from behind her.

* * *

When we return to the Guild, we find a surprise waiting for us that lifts our broken spirits after the bad news we received at Luminous Spring. Not only did Celebi and Grovyle finally return from their mission, but our Guildmates prepared a party for us in order to celebrate our graduation. Really though, once we get home it's like the fact that we've graduated hasn't totally sunk in yet. It could be because we've got a lot on our minds, or that we're tired, or that we find nothing really has changed except our schedule is so much freer than it used to be. We don't even have a curfew anymore.

Even Dusknoir joined in on the celebration.

…Ok, so Celebi dragged him out of his room and we watched, but he did at least take the time to eat a meal and have dessert with all of us as an actual team—which brings another good point to our graduating. Now that we're full-fledged members, Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir won't have to go through the apprenticeship program like we did: We can add them as members of Team Crusade and affiliates of the Guild. Most teams still with the people they're trained with from the start and don't take on other members unless they're trying to start a Guild of their own, even if they've been through the apprenticeship program. However, neither Ri nor myself can see us leaving them out.

Before we turned in for the night, we also requested one thing from Dusknoir; that he look into the matter at Luminous Spring for us, because of the issue with its power being restored so strangely and because of the fact that we can't evolve. It's the first major thing we've asked of him since we came back to the past, and he gave us his word that he would look into it—taking it like a knight's mission from a lord.

"I just hope he can find something," I murmur into Ri's chest as we lay in our bed that night.

He tosses half of our blanket over me and shimmies closer to me beneath it as we settle in, draping an arm across my shoulders. With his free hand, he brushes aside a few loose strands of hair that have fallen into my face before giving me a gentle peck on the forehead, and I return the affection with a soft kiss to chin.

"He will," he assures me. "It may take time, but I know he will. For now though, let's stop worrying. After this week, I think we've both earned some well-deserved rest." He then grins tiredly as he adds, "Not to mention we have our lessons with Grovyle tomorrow."

Ah, our lessons. These past months, Grovyle and the other two have done all they can to help me get back the memories that are still fragmented in my mind. One of the most important things we've tried to do though is recollect all of the information that I studied in the future. Lately, we've been working on translating footprint runes and the language of the Unown. Ri studies with me, and we've both taken to it fast—his already being proficient the former and my picking both up quickly since I'm really just learning them all over again from where they were lost.

"Goodnight then, Ri." No sooner have I said this do my eyes flutter shut. I _am_ tired. Maybe since we've graduated we'll even be able to sleep-in for a change. Unless Loudred decides to wake us up just one more time for old time's sake.

The combination of the weight of the day and my exhaustion and the warmth of him at my side soon lulls me into a fitful slumber.


	8. Chapter 8: News of Sky Peak

"It's looking good you two: Keep it up."

Several weeks have passed since mine and Ri's graduation, and the cold winter snows have melted away in the awakenings of early spring. For the most part we've returned to our normal routine, but what's strange is that the anomalies haven't seemed to stop just yet. From what we know, there isn't any area still frozen in time—so that's good—but there are reports of weird occurrences and distortions nonetheless. The strangest report yet was that of a Pokemon that was crafting with glass in his home only to find himself in a daze several meters away from his house a moment later. We've been looking into it, but haven't found anything that explains why these occurrences are still happening.

And we haven't found anything that explains what happened at Luminous Spring either. I don't think I've ever seen anyone study as fervently as Dusknoir has trying to find answers: Tearing through the clutter of books, relics, and papers that fill his room. But he says that he might be coming close to discovering a few things, and that he just needs to test his theory before he can be certain. Whatever that might mean, I'm almost scared to look into it.

In the meantime, we've kept up with our work and have started refurbishing our home at Sharpedo Bluff. Ri's respected my wish to stay at the Guild until I'm comfortable enough with the idea of moving out, but we've agreed to turn the place into our base of operations for when we're ready. It's nice and cozy, but with five people on our team we want to have as much space as possible. We've kept the large, open area that makes the mouth of the Bluff relatively untouched, but we've commissioned Diglett and Dugtrio to help build a new room near the stairwell for tools, supplies, meetings, and extra quarters. We've gotten around to stabilizing its stone walls with wooden pillars, so it shouldn't be much longer before we can put it to use. We might expand further later on—maybe build on another room for some of us to sleep in privately—but right now we're all happy with it as it is.

"It's all thanks to Treasure Town having such great stone to build with," Dugtrio states, smoothing down the rough edges of one wall along a pillar, "that we can build good homes underground like this."

"We've been working hard since this morning," Celebi breaks in from the other, curved end of the room farthest from the wide entryway as she hammers a slab of wood into its adjacent pillar within the frame at the ceiling. It's so weird seeing the blunt tool in her tiny hands and even Grovyle was against putting her up to the work, but she insisted on it and the only other person able to reach up high would be Dusknoir—and he's not going to leave him room easily. "Maybe we should take a break."

I look to Ri from where he's helping me hold a pillar in place within its notch in the wall as Diglett fastens it in. With this much progress done, I know that nobody really wants to stop just yet. Still, we're all getting a little hungry and thirsty. "We could go down to _Spinda's Café_ and pick up some lemonade to bring back," I offer.

He nods along in readied agreement and I then find my gaze turning imploringly over to Grovyle. Being the most restless out of all of us, I know that he could keep working for hours on end without stopping. In many ways I share that same, stubborn determination, but for right now I'm just restless for the chance to stretch my legs. Quick to pick up on this, he pauses in his own task to give a subtle roll of his eyes and says, "It couldn't hurt to stop for a second. You and Ri can walk down to Spinda's and the rest of us will get things ready for lunch here."

Ri and I are already halfway out the door before he can even finish talking.

* * *

Spring in Treasure Town can easily be said to be one of the most beautiful sights we've ever seen. The trees are weighted by a range of colorful blossoms, the weather is nice and warm, and almost every evening the Krabby are on the beach blowing bubbles after a season of rarely stepping outside into the cold. It's hard to think about it, but… It really has been about a year now hasn't it? Since I first turned into a Pokemon and started this journey with Ri. I was too frantic at the time to appreciate the scenery, but I remember that the weather was just like this when I first came to this world.

Ri seems to remember that as well, for I feel his hand gently squeeze my own as we walk past a cherry blossom tree planted near the bridge in town. A lot really has happened in the course of the year: A lot more than I would've expected when I woke up without any memory of who I was. And even after finding out everything I have, I don't feel any different than I did back then. Despite it all, I'm still me.

The scent of the flowers puts me at ease, and I take in a deep breath of content. I can't help but wonder if this year will be anything like the last. It's gotten hard for me to put my guard down, and I can't imagine ever living a completely peaceful life from here on out. Back in the future, Dialga had told me that, as a Guardian of Light, I still had many trials and tribulations left to pace. At the time, I thought he meant my constant nightmares and my choice in whether I stayed there or returned to the past. Now I'm beginning to question if it might have anything to do with the anomalies that are still happening or that fact that Ri and I can't evolve. I'm walking toward the future blind, and this time there isn't anyone who can explain what's going on to us.

Aside from bearing the weight of my thoughts, the way to _Spinda's_ is peaceful. The streets are too terribly busy today and the sun shines through a partly clouded sky. We make it there without any interruption. It's when we arrive at the café that things get a bit hectic: A large ground is gathered around the entrance. As we step closer, we overhear a brief discussion between two members of another exploration team:

"It seems that there's some happy news for all explorers," A Mr. Mime relates to his Octillary companion.

"I wonder what kind of happy news," the Water-type replies as they begin to descend down through the entrance. "Now I'm really interested."

After they've gone, Ri makes a strange face and murmurs, "Something about this seems familiar, like we've done this before. I wonder what's going on this time…" Facing me, he adds, "Hey, Lira, I think we should go and see too."

"It's not like we were going someplace else anyway," I shrug, curious as well. I don't want to keep Grovyle and the others waiting, but this could be important. We follow the pair, and soon enough we find ourselves encompassed by the bustling and jovial atmosphere of the café. The crowd is even bigger than the one outside, and it only continues to grow as we are herded forward to make room for other newcomers. There are some faces I recognize, but many I don't, and it only piques my interest in whatever this could be about.

A few minutes pass until Spinda steps forward before the mass of Pokemon, climbing onto a crate brought over to her by Wobbufett so she might be seen and heard better over us. "May I have everyone's attention please!" she beckons, and the noise dies down to a soft hum in the background by the few patrons remaining so late after lunch that are actually here to eat. "First of all, I'd like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules! I've got some happy news for everyone today! Has anyone here ever heard of a mountain called Sky Peak?"

She pauses with her arms outstretched as she questions us, but at first no one can answer her. I look to Ri, who usually prides himself on knowing various bits of information as an explorer, only for him to shake his head at me in reply. Neither of us knows what she's talking about.

"I've heard of it," a voice finally calls above the others. We look to our left to spot the Mr. Mime from earlier with his hand raised above him. "It's a really tall mountain to the east. It got its name because it's said that the mountain is so tall that it almost reaches beyond the sky. But it's surrounded by an impassable mountain range, so the route there has been lost. That's why it hasn't been fully explored yet."

"Yes, that's absolutely right. You sure do know your stuff," praises Spinda with a grin as everyone turns her way once more. "Just as Mr. Mime said, Sky Peak has not been fully explored, so it still holds many mysteries." Her voice and posture changes dramatically as she gazes over the crowd—wide, encompassing, and enthusiastic as she continues, "High enough to reach beyond the sky! A mysterious mountain that still holds many secrets… That sounds like enough to catch the attention of _any_ explorer!

"'Let's go and see! See for ourselves!' If that's what you're thinking then we are ready to fulfill that wish through Project P. We've been working on reclaiming the path to Sky Peak, and finally—a couple of days ago—we succeeded! And _furthermore_ , not only did we succeed in reclaiming the path, we also made a discovery. At the base of the mountain is a small, hidden village. A group of very rare Pokemon known as Shaymin live there.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about them, but they're incredibly cute!" she adds more to herself than to us this time before going on, "According to the survey team's report, on the outskirts of the Shaymin village they've found a mountain path to the Sky Peak Summit. This is a huge discovery, as the mountain has not been properly surveyed in some time—no one could even reach it when all of the disturbances first started almost two years ago. There could be piles of treasure, but most importantly, there are opportunities for new discoveries. Or so I think.

"There is a legend which says that there is an incredible treasure there that rivals all else, and it is all waiting for you! For those of you who are brave enough and strong enough to face the journey. For those of you who are interested, I will show you where the Shaymin Village is. So, everyone, let's get moving with hopes and dreams on our minds and smiles on our faces!"

As the crowd cheers in answer, Ri and I both tense up in anticipation with our tails already wagging eagerly. I know what we're both thinking without uttering a word between us: Riolu and Lucario are _built_ for handing rough terrain—on average, we can easily cross a mountain within the span of a day—so if anyone has the best chance of exploring Sky Peak out of those here it's us. And this is exactly the sort of trip we've been waiting for.

I just can't help but wonder though why Spinda would be so interested in the place. That is, until I overhear her talking with some of the other explorers about bringing back some mountain herbs and other wild plants from Sky Peak. For her, I guess this is a means of opening up trade. Delicacies from an impassible place would really raise the café's prestige.

"Team Crusade could really earn a bit of notice if we make it to the summit before anyone else," I muse aloud. It's the perfect challenge for us after going to Temporal Tower: There's just no point in making small feats after all that we've already done.

"And I'd love to meet those Shaymin!" Ri returns with a wide grin. "Not to mention that your birthday is coming up soon. We can celebrate while we're there."

My birthday. In the Dark Future, it was something we always had to guess at and simply meant a day to get a new tool, or book, or piece of clothing—always something useful. I remember that, in my future as a trainer, I celebrated my birthday with my parents when I was a little girl, but after they died it just became a mute fact of my life: I was always travelling, so while I'd get a present from Max and Gardevoir we'd never have a party. The only way I even know my actual birthday is because it's written on one of the photographs in my scrapbook. When Ri found out about all of this, he insisted on having a party for me when the day finally came around—even when I tried to talk him out of it. Birthdays have simply lacked sensibility for me in the course of my life. Nevertheless, I was outvoted. Celebi jumped on the idea and Grovyle said he wanted to do something for my birthday too—especially after, according to him, we did nothing for my birthday last year because it was around the time we were leaving to come to the past. My last hope fell on Dusknoir's usually no-nonsense attitude, only to be dashed as he laxly agreed with the others.

Otherwise, it would be nice to have everyone travel together for this. It would be our first real mission together with the five of us as a team. That thought in mind, we make short work of our task remaining and briskly return to Sharpedo Bluff with the good news.


	9. Chapter 9: First Step to the Summit

I was right about the others jumping upon the idea. Even Dusknoir seemed intrigued with the thought of going, though I get the feeling it for some other purpose that he's not telling us about. It has me a little worried, but I can't think of him trying to hurt any of us with the odds stacked against him or what he'd have to gain as a result. It's probably just all in my head from all that happened in the past.

The days spent preparing everything for our trip have been odd. I'm used to spending plenty of time during the day with Ri, but instead he's been giving the hours that we haven't been working over to the others in our team. In his place, Sunflora and Chimecho have been keeping me company—not that I mind, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been a bit frustrated over it. I know he's planning something and is trying to keep it a secret from me.

My one chance at figuring out what they're up to is thwarted when the day finally arrives for the five of us to travel to Sky Peak. Anything that they would've possibly brought along for the trip would have had to have been packed in Grovyle's satchel or mine and Ri's Treasure Bag. Or, at least, that's what I thought: Dusknoir and Celebi have their own belongings packed separately. To make matters worse, Ri's also forbidden me from carrying the Treasure Bag as I usually do. Out of all of us, I'm the only one left empty-handed.

"I thought you'd have liked not having to carry all of our stuff around," Ri teases me knowingly as I continue to give a sour pout akin to a small child's. The others snicker, knowing full well my intentions to have peaked inside the bag and find anything they might've been hiding inside of it.

"Don't be so cheeky about it," I click my tongue at him, but it's hard for me to be in an actually foul mood. The surrounding valley is far too beautiful for anyone to be bitter in it. Soft, lush grasses roll across the mountain range and wildflowers blossom everywhere. The sun's rays are pleasantly warm as it shines in a clear blue sky. Other Pokemon who have been finally been able to come here after years of the path being blocked play through and explore every inch of the land. It's so peaceful here, and the joy everyone feels is contagious.

Celebi darts back and forth around us as we continue to walk toward the Shaymin Village, gathering wildflowers in her arms and eventually making a bracelet for herself out of them. So distracted am I by the scenery that I don't even realize her having made a flower crown for me until she plops it over my ears and on top of my head. "You should've put more effort into looking nice," she chides me with a friendly smile. "Today's your day: You should be the belle of the ball."

"I'm fine the way I am. I'd rather be comfortable than pretty," I return. Still, I don't move to remove the flower crown. I do sort of miss dressing up as I did as a human, but I really am fine. Besides, it'd be hard to scale a mountain in a skirt.

"You… You always look pretty anyway…" Ri mumbles beside me, turning red as our eyes move to him. My complexion soon matches his own as the others chuckle good-naturedly around us. Neither of us are used to saying or hearing such things from each other.

We're spared from their teasing, however, as Celebi turns her beaming face over to my older brother-figure. "What about you, Grovyle?" she presses, her wings fluttering excitedly, "Don't you think Lira and I look better when we make ourselves up a little? Don't we look cute?" I hide my grin with my hand. She's just dragging me into the picture in order to hide her intentions of fishing a compliment out of him.

Now it's his turn to be flustered, a light flush breaking through his usually calm and controlled air. When asked that in such a direct way, however, there's no way for him to dodge the question. He hesitates as he struggles with his composure, but finally answers, "Of course you both do," then adds with greater reluctance, "but then the two of you have a… n-natural, beauty…"

This visibly sends her over Cloud Nine as now the four of us are blushing and her wings beat with even greater intensity. Dusknoir just shakes his head at us as an observer. "Leave it to spring to turn even the soundest of minds twitterpated," he mutters with a small, exasperated sigh.

"I think I see a town just up ahead!" Grovyle briskly notes after clearing his throat. It might just be an eager move to change subjects, but it's successful. As we each catch sight of it, we find ourselves running excitedly for the well-placed homes and mass of Pokemon moving throughout it.

Pink flowers bloom everywhere and a neat, wooden fence lines the border of the village and the rows of crops recently planted here and there. Small pools of clear water are scattered throughout, and each building is a little hut—a wigwam—framed by strong grape vines and fashioned of flower and large leaves. What catches my eye most though is how tiny most everything is compared to other towns we've been to. It's just like in the fairytale I used to read as a child, _Snow White and the Seven Geodude._

And the Shaymin really are as cute as Spinda mentioned. They're tiny, hedgehog-like Pokemon with short, pure white fur around their faces and underbellies and spring green fur with yellow spots reminiscent of shrubbery on their head and backs. Each of them also has a pair of pink flowers blossoming each their temples that easily dwarf their faces. Any of us could easily pick them up and I think some of them could even fit within Dusknoir's palm without trouble.

"So this is the Shaymin Village?" Ri says, his vibrant gaze darting everywhere to drink in the sights, "It's pretty peaceful…"

One of their numbers finally notices us and steps forward a bit shyly, leaving behind another group of explorers she was just with. "Welcome to our village," she greets, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Azalea, and I live here." Then she chortles, "Then again, all of the residents of this village are Shaymin… That makes it hard to tell us apart, doesn't it?" I suppose that's why, like Ri and myself, she has a name of her own.

Ri laughs in return, easily able to sympathize what with where he grew up. His pleasant laugh helps calm her obviously nervous demeanor. I can imagine, as exciting as it must be to see new faces after years of being isolated, it must be odd for all of the Shaymin to greet so many different types of Pokemon at once. "It's nice to meet you!" He answers with his usual kind expression, "We're Team Crusade!" He then goes on to introduce each of us by name to her.

"Did you come to climb Sky Peak too?" she asks, tilting her head up at us as she takes in our numbers. As she catches sight of Dusknoir, she stiffens a bit as though wanting to take a step back, but holds her ground and maintains her pleasant demeanor.

"Yeah, that's right," he confirms for us all. "I take it you know this mountain well?"

"Uh-huh. We've lived here for a very long time." She focuses her attention back on my partner. "Part of the reason the village was founded here was to guide travelers up the mountain, but we haven't actually done that is quite some time." For a moment, her expression saddens, "You see, an earthquake destroyed the mountain path that led here a long time ago, so explorers couldn't get here very easily and eventually they just stopped coming. We were pretty surprised when the survey team walked into our little village."

"Really? I see." He gives her a sympathetic look, which I share. "That explains why this place has only been talked about in legends and nobody's come to visit." Then he expressions lightens up suddenly. "Oh yeah! Speaking of legends… Is it true that there's an incredible treasure hidden here?"

Her reflecting sorrow ebbs away as she giggles at him and baits, "What do you think? Our job is not limited to simply acting as your guides, but in the end those climbing the mountain must discover some things for themselves. We're just assigned to assist in those discoveries." Despite the professional manner in which she says these things, I get the feeling that this could be her first time trying to act as a guide. She's just seems to be too young—a few years younger than us—and inexperienced.

"I'm not sure if I fully understand, but I think there's a little more to it than that."

"That's right," she answers with a sly wink, but doesn't voice any further explanation.

Over her good-nature, I also sense something within the young Shaymin that nabs at my attention. She has a vividly bright aura to her, and I sense her excitement as she offers to help us, but there's also an underlying glimmer of… loss, maybe? I don't know… Still, I can only imagine what it must've been like for her to grow up in a village full of people who've deemed their purpose was to act as guides for others across the mountain, and then likely when it was time for her to also act as a guide have her purpose taken from her by disaster. And not only that, but she and the other Shaymin were trapped in this area as a result as well. This small world is the only one she's ever known.

"By the way… Now that we've discussed all this…" Azalea continues, "If you're interested, I could be your guide. What do you think? For some reason, I think I really want to climb the mountain with you."

I'm getting a nagging sensation about all of this, but we do need a guide. Looking around the pleasant atmosphere in search of what the off feeling could be, I finally notice something: There are far too many Shaymin and other explorers here. Not that that's a problem in itself, but if there are so many explorers who'd want to scale the mountain, then why haven't they grouped up and gone off already? What's holding them back?

Ri's oblivious to the matter and just smiles at her, "That's a nice offer. I was thinking the same thing: We'd love to have you join us."

I'm not the only person to notice the peculiarity though, and Grovyle finally speaks up from behind, "Excuse me, but is the way up really all that safe?" It sounds like merely a precautionary measure, but I know he's wondering about the lack of people actually taking the trail up as well. Any sort of danger might block the path, and if it was too terrible we'd have no choice but to turn back.

"We should be fine with a guide," Ri tries to reassure him in her place, then he turns to me expectantly, "Hey, Lira? What do you think? Should we let Shaymin join us?"

I do feel like there's something she's not telling us, but… Well, I know that it's likely that—no matter what is said—we're bound to go up there and see for ourselves anyway. We want to be the first ones to reach the summit. It would be better to have someone along who knows the area than not, and we can keep a close eye on her as well. If something goes wrong, we'll just have to handle it as it comes. "I don't see why not?" I reply with a shrug, still a bit on the fence over the issue.

"Yes!" she cheers, beaming. All at once, her professionalism leaves her as she jumps up and into my arms—much to my surprise. "Then let's get going to the summit! Oh, if you don't mind carrying me that is. I'm afraid I can't actually make it far on these legs. If your arms get tired, I could rest on your head if you'd like."

Well, it looks like I get to carry something—or rather _someone_ —after all… "N-no problem…" I really don't mind. She's exceptionally light and if it weren't for the warmth radiating from her body and a pair of sky blue eyes blinking up at me sweetly, I or anyone else might've confused her for a bouquet of flowers.

Besides, she really is so cute…

After a brief check to see that we have all of our gear together before going, we begin to make our way up the steady incline.


	10. Chapter 10: An Unsteady Incline

It doesn't take all that long for us to realize why people were avoiding travelling up the mountain. The other Pokemon who live here aren't anywhere near as thrilled as the Shaymin are about having visitors, and much of the land is still unstable from the earthquake from years ago.

According to Azalea, the route up to the summit is divided into ten stations: nine resting stops and then the summit itself. Of course, no one has made it up to the summit beyond a few of the Shaymin, so I can only imagine how bad things will be farther ahead. The only saving grace of it is that there will also be fewer types of other Pokemon who would fight us the farther we go. There are a few other daredevils at the first station though, the ones like us willing to face the challenge for a bit of adventure. I don't any see many other Shaymin travelling with them, so I can't help but think that the rest of them thought it was too risky to make the journey and likely advised other Pokemon to do the same.

We just _had_ to be the crazy bunch…

Even though it's really early in, we take a momentary break to drink a bit of water from a nearby stream and speak with some of the others who've already made a bit of the climb and have chosen instead to make their way back down rather than continue further. From what everyone knows so far, there aren't very many that have made it to the highest stations.

I end up overhearing a Heracross that lost his Oran Berry on the way up, and I decide to offer him one of ours. We've got plenty, and the wildlife is so plentiful here it wouldn't surprise me if we found even more berries on our way up. It really isn't any trouble, but I find Azalea staring at me from my hold as the Bug-type gives me an Escape Orb in turn to say thank you.

"What?" I ask, fiddling with the sphere before handing it off to Ri to store away within our bag. I just hope we won't actually need it…

She giggles, "You're really very kind, aren't you Lira?"

Kind? Well, I suppose… I like to think I'm kind, even though I know I have a bit of a temper and can be exceptionally stubborn when I feel slighted. I just did what any person _should_ do, and it didn't cost me or my team much of anything. I don't see how it's enough to label me.

"Mountain climbing is a give and take," she continues, nestling into a more comfortable position in my arms. "We should help others when they're in trouble. Don't you think?"

I smirk, "Guess so." And soon after that we round each other up to get going again. Ri and I could get pretty far on our own—or even with Shaymin—in one sprint, but we have to consider the others. They're not made for the mountain and it's better for them to be able to rest at regular intervals if we're going to make it to the summit in good time.

The second station isn't quite as busy as the first, but is just as intriguing. It's where the survey team for Project P—Team Frontier—has set up their base of operations. For some reason, I can't help but get the strange feeling that I've seen most of them somewhere before… A Breloom that approaches us to introduce the group says that since it'd be too difficult to have rescue missions on the mountain that they made the base at this clearing to help lost and wounded travelers. There's even a Drifblim to help take travelers back to the village in a rush.

Blocking the cave-like passage that's up next is a Machoke, and he introduces himself as the team leader alongside a partner of his, Mawile. He's quick to warn us about the dangers further ahead, but also quick to encourage us when we tell him who we are. It seems that even out here our team has gotten a bit of notice for travelling to Temporal Tower…

"I just can't believe that two little guys like you went head-to-head with the Guardian of Time himself, he laughs in a strong voice, messing up our fur as he pats both Ri and I on the head—much to the amusement of the people around us.

"We still really can't believe it either," I grin awkwardly. "Anyway, thank you for all you've done with Project P. Other explorers like Ri and I wouldn't even know about this place if it weren't you all, let alone have gotten this far." Cradling Shaymin in one arm after making an appreciative bow, I accept the hand this is then held out for me to shake.

Then I shake Mawile's hand, but what happens next wipes the grin from my face and nearly sends me retreating back a step were it not for Ri placing a concerned hand on my shoulder to steady me. My Dimensional Scream ability activates, or maybe it's just a memory, because I see myself cupping a similar, but younger Mawile's hand—I think it might be her daughter—in both of my own from where I squat low to the ground as a human being in some other, distant place.

 _I think it's a meeting room we're in, scattered with maps and papers, and a large board dotted with notes and pinned papers of battle tactics, and interconnecting webs of information. They're blurry though, lacking all focus so that I can't make out much detail of them. If this is a memory, I imagine that I wouldn't have put so much focus into it at the time, for all of my attention is placed on the Iron-type and her team. Sadly, I don't see any of the current members among them…_

" _I can't thank you enough for all of the effort you've put into this," I tell them with my head humbly dipped low and Grovyle standing behind me with a solemn expression. "Out of everyone here, you've worked the hardest for our mission—finding the Passage of Time and figuring out how to use it to send us to the right moment in the past… Even with everything we know, how if we complete our mission, we… None of us will…"_

 _My former self begins to shake, and I feel the same emotions that I felt then: Grief, fear, uncertainty… We had lost so much and I had been thrust into the highest position of leadership within the resistance with little preparation. I didn't know what I was doing, but tried so hard to pretend that I did and stay strong in front of everyone but Grovyle._

" _I don't know how to thank you…" I say in a much softer voice, nearly falling apart before the group. We had only a few weeks before we would go into the past—our last few weeks to see our friends, alive and well. "I just wish that I could save you all... If there was any other way, I'd do it without hesitation—"_

 _Before I can be moved to tears, Mawile cups my cheek with her free hand and beckons me to look up at her. She cuts me off and smiles down at me in compassionate understanding. "We should be thanking you. You and Grovyle are the ones shouldering the heaviest burden," she tells me, "If I went to the past, I don't know if I could actually go through with changing the future, despite everything. I don't know if I'd be able to protect myself against the ones who are sure to try to stop you, or even if I'd go through with placing the Time Gears in Temporal Tower in the end…_

" _For our own sakes, for our parents' sakes and all those that came before us, we have to do at least this much. It's our duty."_

"Is something wrong?" is the first thing that reaches my ears as I recover and return to the present. I blink back to reality to find Azalea and Team Frontier watching me with concern while my family watches me knowingly.

I struggle to do so as the last bit of pain from my headache leaves me, but manage a smile. "I'm alright," I answer, "I just spaced out for a moment. It's hard to believe we're actually here." My moment of relapse might have seen longer to me, but I know it only lasted a split-second in real-time. My answer is convincing enough.

Nevertheless, as we continue on our way, Ri walks close to me to whisper in my ear, "Did you get a vision?"

I nod, and am able to talk freely knowing that Azalea won't understand what we're talking about. So far, it doesn't seem like she or the other Shaymin know about the Planet's Paralysis. It's somewhat comforting, but I know it won't be like that forever. Still, she doesn't try to pry into our brief discussion with anything but a confused glance as we speak. "I think it was the next generation of Team Frontier. They were the planetary investigation team within the resistance."

Chances are that, in the future, none of them even remember that conversation. After all, for anyone besides Dialga, Grovyle, Celebi, Dusknoir, a few of the Sableye, and myself, it's as though the future of darkness was never even a possibility. Rather than their being my age or older, instead I'll be around by the time they're born. It's bittersweet, but in the very least I know that we were able to pull through for them: Both they and their families are safe from harm—even if they don't know that they were in any danger.

The intervals between the next two stations are uneventful, but it's as we make our way up to the fifth station that we run into an actual problem. Or rather, someone else has before us. We're caught off guard by an Octillary—the very Octillary that was there at _Spinda's_ the day that we were given news of Sky Peak—running up to us, out of breath and calling for help. He quickly tells us that there is some Pokemon picking a fight with a Sneasel up farther ahead at the fifth station, and the very mention of it sends Azalea into a panic.

"Quick! We have to hurry too!" she exclaims with worried eyes. Not that she has to tell us: We're already running that way.

With Ri and I being the fastest in this sort of territory, we easily outpace the others: Grovyle tails behind us, just able to keep enough speed to follow our trail and relay to the Celebi and Dusknoir where we're going. We can't wait up for them—not if there's somebody in danger! Nevermind if it's just a petty fight: It's dangerous to even have a friendly spar in a place like this. A single slip up, a blast from a powerful enough attack rupturing the earth and shattering it beneath someone… One wrong move could send a person falling to their death! It's just stupid to fight here!

"I can see the fifth station clearing! Let's hurry!"

With our speed and Azalea's directions, we make our way there in no time. Somehow though, Team Frontier makes it there before us, and I can only imagine that Octillary went back to the second station to get their help and that they flew up here thanks to Drifblim. We find Sneasel surrounding by a gang of five Carnivine, looking worse for wear from the outslaught of attacks she's no doubt suffered. I find myself snarling in outrage: Five on one… They're despicable!

"What do you think you're doing?!" one of the Carnivine barks at us all.

"We're Team Frontier!" Mawile is just as furious as I am, and announces, "Only cowards would gang up on one Pokemon! So if you want a fight, how about facing us?!"

"Don't leave us out of the picture!" I voice, moving beside her and pausing only to place Azalea carefully on the ground. I motion for her to run toward a patch of briars several meters away from us, but as terrified as she seems to be—her mouth pulled into a frown and her brow contorted with worry—she stays at my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir enter the scene: They don't need an explanation to take position and prepare to fight.

Chuckling, a cruel smile lining his sharp fangs, the same Carnivine abandons his place from where he and the other surround Sneasel and approaches us. When the rest follow suit, the Ice-type takes his opportunity to scramble away to safety. Good. Just like with Azalea, I wouldn't want him to stick around and risk being used as a hostage. "Oh, this should be fun!"

"E-everyone, please what a second!" a tiny voice beckons.

"Azalea, wait—!" I try to catch her, but she evades me and races to the front of our group—and right in front of the mass of Carnivine. I move to go after her, but feel something snag my arm back to stop me. Looking over my shoulder, I find Ri giving me a reassuring grin.

It takes me a minute to realize why until I see that the Carnivines' expressions greatly change at the sight of her, morphing from sadistic grins to friendly smiles. "Oh!" the first one exclaims, getting down low to greet her face to face. It's frightening as it is awkward to watch such a large, intimidating Pokemon bend for someone so small… "A Shaymin from the village! It's been a while!"

"You…" I begin, still somewhat confused at the turn of events. My pointed finger moves from one of the pair to the other. "You know each other then…"

"You…" Azalea mutters, her face quickly turns to one of anger as she shouts at the Bug-Catcher Pokemon. "You haven't changed a bit, Carnivine! We've asked you before to stop bothering the explorers, haven't we?!"

He backs off a bit, his expression turning sheepish, "Y-yeah, but—that Sneasel started it! We found some treasure earlier, and he snatched it right out from under our noses!" Finally he and they others of his kind begin to take notice that the Ice-type has already run off somewhere, and their faces grow dark with outrage. "He ran off during the confusion!"

"We all thought you were the bad guys…" Mawile says, shame in her voice. I tense up as well, glad things didn't turn out as badly as they could've been.

"Well, you can't exactly say that they're good guys, either…" Azalea mumbles with a small pout.

Overhearing this, the leader of the Carnivine balks, "Hey! We haven't seen you Shaymin in so long and this is how you treat us?!" But he then sighs, scratching the back of his head after taking a deep breath. "Meh, it's fine. Since it's Shaymin, we'll let you go. The decision to climb the mountain is your own, but I don't like to let Pokemon just do as they please."

Making my way to the front, I bow low to them apologetically. Stubborn as I am, I could've hurt someone that didn't actually deserve it. "If we see Sneasel again, I promise you we'll get back your treasure!" I declare, and Ri nods along. There's a change we won't run into him again—though we mine and Ri's combined abilities, I say we have a fair chance of sniffing his out—but I feel like we have to do _something_ to make it up to them even if we never actually got around to fighting. I just can't be lax about a thing like this.

"If you can manage it, that would be much appreciated," he says, then turns away from us. "Well, see ya."

And with that, he and the other Carnivine depart somewhere along a separate route.

"Excuse me," says Azalea after watching them go, an apologetic look of her own written on her features. "The Carnivine have marked this as their territory. They're really nice, but they can be a little rough when they speak…"

"We're also to blame here," Mawile says, her eyes downcast as she folds her arms over her chest, "Rather than listening to them, we just jumped straight into a fight…"

"That's why you shouldn't just judge by appearances…" adds Breloom.

"Sorry!" exclaims Machoke, and the rest of us join in until finally Azalea's smile returns to her.

"It's alright!" she replies, climbing back into my arms, "As long as you understand. So, let's put this behind us and get back to climbing. We're halfway to the summit!"

As Team Frontier returns to Drifblim to head back to their base and we see them off, Dusknoir moves to my side. "You shouldn't make such promises so readily," he reprimands in an even tone. "They'll come a time when you won't be able to fulfill them."

"But I can do everything in my power to do so," I counter readily. Finding Sneasel won't be the real problem anyway. Besides the fact that Ri and I can sense aura, it's not like there are many places on the mountain for him to have gone. He's looking for Sky Peak's treasure too, and we're all heading to the summit.

"You're unbearably hopeful as ever…" he murmurs. "Just remember that after we cross the sixth station, there will be nothing but snow for the remainder of the climb. Even if you find that Pokemon, you'll be in _his_ element, and while you and Ri might have a type advantage over him Grovyle and Shaymin do not. Not only are you stepping in on somebody else's problem, but it may be more of a problem than you realize. Or can handle."

"We kicked your boss's butt," I remind him without reserve, "I think we'll be fine."

"Getting cocky won't do you any good either…"


	11. Chapter 11: Frost-bitten

It's a good thing we've come prepared, because without our winter gear I don't know how we'd handle the cold.

Ri and I had packed along our scarfs along with the others, and since we didn't know whether or not this would be an overnight trip, we brought along a few blankets as well. Since—in her excitement and uncertainty in how far we were willing to go—Azalea forgot her own back at the village, I've wrapped her up in one of these to keep her warm. It's so strange, the difference between up here and back down even just to the last station, and the thin air and lowering sun isn't helping either. By now it's well past noon, and it's only getting colder the longer the day passes.

Still, we're all pretty determined to make it to the summit. Turning back isn't an option to us and none of us are fond of the idea of camping out in the snow, so making it to the top before nightfall is the only thing we can do. As for once we get there, we just may not have long to celebrate before we use that Escape Orb to send us back down.

Freezing as we are, none of us are really up for any sort of discussion. Not until Ri raises a hand to prevent our group of moving forward any further and asks me softly, "Do you sense that?"

"I sense my toes going numb," I joke, but I pause to reach out with my aura to try to find see what he's talking about for myself. I have my answer in seconds. A single aura signature just up ahead near the next station, all too familiar from how recently we've identified it. There's no doubting it: It's Sneasel.

"That Pokemon has some explaining to do," I purse my lips irritably as my aura sensors fall back into place along my head and I begin to march toward the signature. However, as his dark navy figure come into view, I notice something more than a little unsettling about him. Not only does he seem to not register that we're there, he's not moving…

Why isn't he moving?!

Anger frantically switches over to panic as I quicken my pace toward the fallen Ice-type, and soon I hear the others rush after me in turn. _Please don't be dead, please don't be dead!_ I chant that prayer like a mantra through my mind.

"What could've happened?!" Azalea cries as she wrestles herself from enough from the blankest nest in order to see what's going on.

"I don't know," I reply. As I skid to a halt at Sneasel's side, I find him badly hurt with his eyes sealed shut. Kneeling down next to him though, I'm able to give a sigh of relief as I touch a finger to his pulse. "At least he's still alive…"

"Lira!" Ri calls after me, he and the others growing nearer.

"It looks like he fainted before we got here!" I shout to them, still kneeling in snow. I try to revive him with a light slap to the cheek with the back of my hand, but he doesn't so much as twitch. I know he took a beating from the Carnivine, so it's hard for me to imagine him making it this far after that before wearing himself out.

"Maybe he just couldn't handle the cold?" Ri offers. That would be the most promising of causes, but I don't even think he believes it.

"He's an Ice-type," Dusknoir reminds him with a somewhat condescending look. "The cold should've been the least of his worries."

"This isn't good at all…" Azalea shakes he head, nudging the Sharp Claw Pokemon's arm with her snout. However, her attempts to wake him up just end in the same manner as mine did: Without a response. After a moment, something hardens in her young gaze and she adds firmly, "I'll go get help."

"Who are you going to call for help?" Celebi asks doubtingly. "Team Frontier is back at the second station and we haven't seen anyone else since we ran into those Carnivine."

"There's a rescue expert at the eight station," she informs us. "We don't call him for the little things, but emergencies are different." Looking up at us, she then asks, "Could one of you please carry him? We can't just leave him here like this."

Our eyes turn to Dusknoir. Granted, any of us besides Azalea or Celebi would be suited for the task, but he's the brawniest of us here: He can easily carry Sneasel like a sack of flour without slowing us down. Which, after taking a second to roll his eye skyward and shake his head at us, is exactly what he does—hefting the unconscious Pokemon over his shoulder.

There isn't any time to waste. Trudging through the snow, we listen carefully to Azalea's directions to reach the eight station. However, unlike the others we've seen so far which have just been clearings, this one is a cave. Peering inside, I can see the warm glow of a fire reflecting from deeper in.

"Ampharos!" Azalea shouts, her voice echoing off of the stone walls as we step further inside. It's almost surprising how pleasant it is within the cave compared to the bleak and lifeless environment out there. There's even a few plants growing in the cave and it has a spring a lot like the one we have at Sharpedo Bluff. Equipment and supplies are scattered everywhere in neatly piled crates along with stacks of wood. To the far right wall, by the spring, is a bed of hay while to the left of us is the roaring fire.

Her cry is answered as a Pokemon I've never seen before sticks his head out from around a mass of rock and greets, "Oh! It's a Shaymin from the village. I was wondering who it was," before stepping out into the open. "It's been a long time! How have you been?"

"It has been a long time, Ampharos," she says, though her voice fails to carry the same cheer, "but we don't have time to chat. We're in a hurry!"

He tilts his head, his smile fading. "Indeed? Did something happen?"

"At the seventh station clearing," she answers, and she and I both direct our gaze to the still knocked out Sneasel in Dusknoir's hold.

The Electric-type's bright disposition turns serious as he lays eyes on him. "Ah… Here I thought I was going to have my first guests in a long time, but it sounds like that will have to wait. I hear you." He motions us into action, "Please, put him on the bed. Wait for me here while I gather a few things." Without further comment, he goes back the way he came as Dusknoir moves aside to do as told, laying our charge down carefully.

"We're counting on you!" Azalea shouts after him, and from that point we are forced to leave Sneasel in Ampharos' hands.

* * *

"I didn't think our trip would take this sort of turn," Ri says dejectedly, nursing a cup of tea from his place at my side. The two of us sit with Azalea near the bed to watch over Sneasel while the others warm themselves by the fire with their own drinks.

"Well, it has been a great adventure so far," I offer, nodding my head appreciatively as I accept a cup for me and a small bowl of the steaming beverage for the Grass-type resting in my lap from Ampharos. After seeing to Sneasel, he showed us every hospitality. We haven't even stopped for lunch during our climb, as eventful as it's been, so we're more than grateful.

"But we probably won't make it to the summit in time anymore." His ears lower as he stares into his drink. "I wanted us all to make it there in time for your birthday. I wanted it to be special."

I snort, ignoring the warmth rising to my cheeks. How incredibly lucky did I get to be with someone so kind and loving? "This _is_ special, Ri. So what if we don't make it to the summit by tonight. So what if someone else gets there first." I cup his cheek, pulling his gaze to meet mine. "It would be nice, yes, but I love spending this time that I have with you. Being here with you, and Grovyle, and Celebi," I lower my voice, "and even Dusknoir… That's what makes this adventure so worthwhile to me."

As a small smile gradually returns to his features, I can't help but smile back. Yes, how lucky am I? I could travel all over the world and still I probably wouldn't find anyone who's so compassionate and whose heart resonates so well with my own. As he closes the remaining distance between us, I feel Ri's lips press softly against mine and feel behind the affection all the love he harbors. When our lips part, I slip my head beneath his chin and nuzzle him tenderly. We don't often make these signs of endearment—and hardly ever in front of anyone—but to me that makes them all the more meaningful.

"Good thing you brought him to me when you did." Ampharos' voice snaps us out of our daze from where it sits on the other side of the bed and gives the Ice-type a second examination. "You barely made it in time, otherwise I don't think I would've been able to help him."

"So you've been up here for all this time, Ampharos?" I ask. I felt sorry for the Shaymin being trapped in the village, but if he's been here all alone then I can't imagine what he's gone through. It would be enough to drive a person mad.

"Oh, don't worry," he grins, reading into my thoughts. I've travelled all over this mountain and made friends with the other Pokemon living here. Sure, it was upsetting that I couldn't make it back to my family, but being from the Water Continent they knew I'd be gone for a long while anyway when I took this job."

"You're from the Water Continent?!" Ri echoes, amazed. "Then what brought you all the way here?!"

"I'm an explorer, like you all," he answers brightly. "I wanted to see other places and experience new things. Taking this job meant exploring the secrets of the mountain and getting paid while doing it." His gaze turns thoughtful as he redirects it to the snow outside. "Still, it has been a while and I'm thinking about going back after everything's calmed down here and someone arrives to replace me. This was only ever meant to be temporary and I'm ready to go home."

An aching groan moves our eyes back to Sneasel as he shifts around in the bed before fluttering his eyes open wearily. "He's awake!" Azalea starts, pushing herself up on her forepaws in my lap, "Sneasel! Are you alright?" The others begin to gather around as well, leaving the fire behind.

"Where am I?" he moans, hardly moving after his initial attempt. Unprepared for the warm light, he closes them again and allows his eyes a minute to adjust.

"You fainted at the seventh station," she answers.

"And if Ampharos hadn't healed you, you probably wouldn't still be with us," Ri adds.

"You did that… for me?" he asks in slight disbelief, finally opening his eyes to find the Electric-type among us.

"It wasn't just me," he says, "Everyone here came to your rescue." We all just shrug it off just as easily as he does. It's what we do, so we feel there's no reason to address it.

"I see… I…" he tries to sit himself up only to tense up with a sharp hiss and fall back on the bed. Ampharos catches his head and looks him over again as any doctor might.

"It's alright. You don't have to say anything," Azalea tries to soothe him. "You should really take it easy and rest. As advised he doesn't try to answer her this time, but instead looks off to the far wall with an odd expression of deep, inner musing.

"All of you may go on ahead through the mountain pass," Ampharos tells the rest of us. "I can take care of him from here." When none of us so much as make a sound to this, he adds, "You were all headed to the summit, weren't you? This is the eight station, so you're almost there. Do your best to make a mark in history by making it."

"B-but…" we begin in to protest.

"There's nothing to be accomplished by all of you staying here. I can handle this on my own. Go on ahead."

"Are you sure…?" Grovyle questions for us all as he places a hand on my shoulder, but there really is no point in asking him further. It's clear that his mind is made up and we really need to get going.

Before we do head off though, there is still one issue we need to discuss.

"Sneasel," I beckon him, "you took something from those Carnivine back at the fifth station. They'll be expecting it back." My tone is calm, but I make it clear that I won't move on the matter. He visibly winces, but manages a nod in turn.

"I'll be sure to get whatever he took back to its proper owner," the Light Pokemon adds reassuringly, "Now go."


	12. Chapter 12: Muk and Miasma

"Something feels different than the last time I came here…" Azalea says to herself as we march on through the cave passageway Ampharos pointed out to us to speed up our journey.

"What's different?" I ask with a worried glance. This whole trip has had its ups and downs, but I still have my worries. There's absolutely no one else there as we reach the ninth station, and from this point onward we're on our own.

"It's nothing. Probably just my imagination," she muses aloud. Well, that could be equally true. It has been years since anyone could climb up here after all: I'm sure it was difficult for even the Shaymin to travel far from their village after the earthquake. "Well, at any rate, it's only a little farther to the summit! Keep at it!"

"We should speed it up," Ri adds, "The sun will set before long." I give him a single nod of agreement before I start walking again. If there's something dangerous out there, I'd rather not face it at night.

At one point, I make the mistake of looking down as we cross through one open area and quickly regretting it. To think it had only been that very early morning when we first arrived at Sky Peak, and now we're already nearing our destination thousands of feet above the world. We've made great progress, but it's also a little saddening that it couldn't last longer.

I look back at Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir and find myself grinning at the irony of my thoughts. If anything, those three probably can't wait for this to end despite the excitement. They probably would've been fine with spending the night in the cave, or at any of the other stations, rather than rush all the way up here. Ri and I will have to do something to thank them for keeping up with us.

After everything we've been through on the way up here, Azalea's cry breaking our currently uneventful hike jolts us back into the present. "I can see it! The summit!" She jumps out of my arms and runs off ahead of us, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around her words. She can see it? I can see the exit, but it's pretty dark out there and I can't help but wonder if night has already fallen. I can't see anything. When I reach out through my aura though, I do _sense_ something up there that rattles me and Ri and I hurry after her with the rest of the team following close behind. It's hard to describe, but it's… sickly. It's like the entire area above bore some disease.

When we finally make out way out of the caves, we find Azalea frozen in place in the middle of a clearing—her expression one of horror. It's not without due cause: The entire area is enshrouded by a blackish-purple, fog-like miasma. It's impossible to tell whether it's still day or night and everything looks as dead as it did in the Dark Future. The striking resemblance shakes me at my very core, and I have to grip on Ri to steady me and assure me that this isn't just another nightmare. Near us, Celebi clings to Grovyle as she hides behind him and Dusknoir stares off into the foreboding mist. We all feel it. The terror and the crippling depression of that life we used to live.

We can't go back there! We don't want to have to relive it!

Maybe it's the miasma affecting me, but I see the horrors I've witnessed play through my mind like a grim kaleidoscope. Shadows encompassing me from every side. The unbearable pain and wrenching fear as I and my loved ones are attacked without understanding why. So many deaths. So much loss. My parents. A multitude of Pokemon that dared to defy Primal Dialga by helping me. Ri. Ri…

"Lira!" I hear him call to me, and finally I'm able to return to myself as he grips me steadily by my arms in his embrace. That's right: I'm not that same child I was back then, who had to stand aside and watch as her loved ones were taken from her. I can protect the people I care about, and Ri's still here…

My face hardens with determination. As a Guardian of Light, I have a job to do. We all do. Right now, that job is to see to whatever it is that's causing this miasma.

"T-this is terrible…" Azalea whispers, still horror-stricken. Perhaps none of the other Shaymin have even made it up this high for no one to have known about this already. "All this happened while I was away for so long…"

"Looks like someone else got here first," we hear from behind us, and we're surprised to find Team Frontier making their way up from the cave passage behind us. They must have decided to have come back up rather than quit and go back down to their base after all. I wish they had something better to arrive to though, because they're met with the same despair as us upon exiting.

"What is this…?" Breloom exclaims in his shock.

" _This_ is the summit?" Mawile questions in disbelief.

With teary eyes, Azalea turns around to face us, "No, this is…" For a moment, it seems like she's going to say that this is all wrong, but she never finishes her thought. She just takes a shaky breath and looks back out into the blurry darkness. This place is an important part of her home: Of course she'd be upset to find it like this.

It's hard for any of us to know what to say in order to console her, but we don't even get the chance. The miasma surrounding us seems to move and contort in a manner all too solid to simply be the wind disturbing the fog. As the distorted shapes begin to move toward us from all sides, we close in around ourselves defensively.

"Looks like we weren't the first one's here besides the Shaymin after all," I muse as the shapes begin the chuckle darkly. Shifting my gaze to Azalea, I then ask, "I take it that these guys aren't friends of yours like the Carnivine were?"

She shakes her head weakly, shuffling between my feet and into a guarded position.

"Icky, sticky… grimy, slimy…" A haggard voice that reminds me of a warlock's cackle reverberates throughout the area, "We _love_ dirt and slime…" The way he speaks is unnatural, and it stirs a kind of dread within me that I can't easily explain at first.

We're finally able to identify the figures as they surround us: A group of Grimer and Muk—I think I count eight of them in all. On the bright side, not counting Azalea, that means that each of us would only have to face against one each: On the down side though—counting duel types—we've got four Grass-types with us and mine and Ri's Fighting-type moves won't prove very effective against them. What few advantages we have against them are outweighed by our weaknesses.

"T-this isn't your home," Azalea tries to speak up from where she's hidden, "you know that. Please, go back to where you belong." But the wicked gleam in their eyes tells me that they won't hear her. That look… It sends my fur on end. Why does it seem so familiar?

More importantly, Ri and I have been around other Poison-types before. And sure, their homes typically may not seem the most livable for other species of Pokemon, but this miasma is nauseating to an extreme. I don't think anything or anyone besides Poison or Steel-types could last in this for very long. Even the surrounding rock seems to possess a sickly color.

"No. _Nooo,_ " a few of them shout in negation at Azalea's plea. "Lies _. Liiiies_. We drive away cleanlinessss!"

It is then that I begin to notice the strange glow in their eyes and I feel myself grow pale. I've seen it before: In Dialga, in Masa. It's a strange look that has always meant the corruption of the mind. "It's no use trying to reason with them…" I say, my voice nearly going hoarse from the terror seeping along the path of my spine.

"Looks like we have to get them to come to their senses…"she says in remorseful agreement. Gazing up at all of us with pleading eyes, she adds, "Everyone, I'm counting on you!"

We don't need to be told twice and instantly we sprint into action. "Celebi, keep to the center! Grovyle, underground!" Since Celebi is at a disadvantage in this fight, it's better for her to stay safety between the rest of us and use Heal Bell to prevent anyone from falling under poison or paralysis. Grovyle faces the same problem, but he should be safe beneath the surface and he can attack them from below. Ri uses Bone Rush and I Copycat in order to mimic him: For the time being it's the best move in our set to fight against the Poison-types. I trust Team Frontier to look out for themselves and Dusknoir has the defensive advantage as a Ghost-type, so I don't have to worry for him as much. As it is, I step forward to better protect Azalea.

The gap in our group is closed soon after everyone shifts into their new positions, and it isn't long before the first attack is made—a combination of Sludge Bombs from the Muk and Grimer. With a rapid flourish of our staffs, Ri and I are able to defends ourselves partially from the blows, but some of it still manages to get on us. I clench my teeth at the bullet-like impacts and the sharp, burning sensation that envelops me. The sound of Celebi's Heal Bell helps take away some of the pain though, and we both bear through it.

As a Muk draws near, I swing my Bone Staff at it only to feel his form give way and lose my footing. I'm unprepared for it as my staff sinks into his body and refuses to give when I attempt to tug it free. It's completely stuck! "That's just disturbing…" I can't help but murmur with widened eyes as I continue to pull at my staff in vain—when, if anything, it just sinks in further before shattering. This time, the Muk uses Mud Bomb to knock me back and at such close range with nothing to defend myself with, it hits true to its mark. I'm able to close my eyes in time in order to avoid any of the rancid grime from getting in my eyes as I skid along the earth on my back, gritting my teeth.

A torrent of fire appearing before Dusknoir as he summons it in his hands, he uses Will-O-Wisp and sends the maelstrom of flames dashing over the whole of the Sludge Pokemon. It's just an attack to cause burns, so I don't really understand why he's using one of the weakest moves he's got until I begin to see how the surface of the Muks' and Grimers' skins begin to dry up and crack. The fire is hardening their flesh, making them easier to spar against.

I can only respond to this by getting back on my feet and drawing forth a Bone Staff one more time, dashing forward to drive the weapon against my opponent once more. Unlike before, he's much more fragile, and I'm able to make the strike perfectly without losing my staff—pushing the Muk back.

The earth begins to rupture beneath a few of our assailants, and I watch as their oozing forms are sucked into the ground and buried beneath the rubble. I can only hope that Grovyle is still safe under there, if he's going to trap the others down there with him to deal with them. It would level the playing field a bit, but only a little. He's had plenty of time to develop his own fighting technique beneath the surface just as well as above, but that doesn't mean he possess the same prowess as an actual Rock or Ground-type.

In the very least, the Muk and Grimer seem weaker than Masa was when I faced him in this sort of state. Could they be under a weaker trance or could I really just be imagining things? It couldn't actually be, right? There's no way Pitch Black could've been able to trace me back to the past… Oh, what am I doing?! I can worry about that later, but right now we have an actual problem to deal with!

I use Quick Attack to power up my strikes with a rushing impact, and succeeded in taking out the Muk I've been facing before my legs are pulled out from beneath me. I yelp as I'm pulled to the ground and held down by one of the Grimer. The smell… Little spots begin to dance around my vision before I summon enough power within me to knife him with a swift aura attack.

I feel the wave of pink energy pass over me before I see it, and for a moment I think it's Celebi that's come to my aid. But instead I look over my shoulder to see Azalea with the remains of a Sitrus berry from our Treasure Bag before her. Natural Gift: The move itself can create decently strong Normal-type attack, but if the user eats a berry as they perform it, then the type and even strength of the move will change. And luckily for us, Poison-types are weak to Psychic-type moves.

I take the opportunity to escape by tumbling over and back onto my feet, then lunge over the Grimer to strike at his head before rearing to face the next opponent. As I take a moment to watch the former practically melt as he oozes along the ground, I know he's out of the fight. The next Muk I face—one that Breloom's having a bit of trouble with—is a towering menace of gunk, and I inwardly groan at the thought of having to battle him. That is, until he falls to the same fate as some of the others of his species and collapses within the earth thanks to Grovyle's Dig. Said Tree Gecko then bursts from the ground by my side and gives me a thorough glance-over to make sure I'm alright before giving me a relieved smile.

I only relax after I find the last of the Poison-types dealt with by Dusknoir's Ice Punch. We're all pretty worn from the fight combined with the climb, but it doesn't look like they can handle much more either. Grovyle raises a hand to me to try to pluck away some of the grime clinging to my hair, but it's all too clear that I'm going to need a bath.

Another glance around tells me that we _all_ will…

"Have you come to your senses yet, Grimer and Muk?" Azalea asks them, pursing her mouth into a firm line.

I once more take my place near her, fearing for what little energy they may still have. However, the sight of the corrupted glow in their eyes puts me at ease and I allow the Bone Staff to fade from my grip. Their aura isn't as dark as it was just moments ago… That alone is enough to bring me some security.

"Shaymin!" one of them finally cries in surprise, as if just now noticing her for the first time.

If Azalea notices the peculiarity, she ignores it. "What happened while I was away for so long?" she presses as they begin to free one another from the ruptured cracks and holes in the ground. "You know this isn't your home, right?"

They blink in shock and a hushed murmur falls over them, "But… This is _sooo_ our home! _Seeee?_ It's all dirty and _griiiimy_ …" Still, as they look it over once more I think they begin to spot the differences in this place and wherever they truly come from. Their crest-fallen expressions only further prove to me that this is fall worse than what any Poison-type would want to live in.

"Dirty and grimy…" whispers Azalea with a frown, "I see… Nobody's come here for so long…" Looking up at them once more, she continues, "I'm sorry, Grimer and Muk, but this is the mountain summit."

"But… it can't be…"

"I think it fell into disrepair because nobody visited it for so long, but we can't leave the summit in this condition. Will you please return to your rightful home? Please? I'm asking you." Her explanation makes sense, to a certain degree. However, after all I've seen I can't bring myself to be convinced by so simple an answer. Not to mention that nature has a funny way of taking care of itself: I can't imagine it falling to ruin that easily.

"We… didn't even notice…" one of them says mournfully. How they could've been so led astray is also strange. "We're sorry, Shaymin: We'll go home."

"Alright: Thank you!" she finally beams, "I'll come and visit you with a token of thanks later!" As they say their goodbyes, I look to Dusknoir and Grovyle searchingly. I don't know about Ri and Celebi, but I don't think they're convinced either. We've just… been through too much.

Even after the Muk and Grimer are long gone, the miasma remains. And now that we've had a battle, the land itself isn't in so great a condition either. I don't know how we could've made it any worse, but we did. "We have to clean this place up and restore it," Azalea says with a certain determination that's hard to believe as we look upon the destruction.

"Restore it?" Mawile questions for everyone else, her brows furrowed, "It's so dirty, how could we possibly…"

"We Shaymin have a special power to clean up the land by absorbing dirt and things," she informs.

"But with the size of this catastrophe, it could prove detrimental to your own health," Dusknoir adds pointedly. "You would have to absorb it into your body first in order to purge it, and taking in such a vast amount of poison alone—not including whatever else might linger—could very well kill you."

"Yes, it will be no easy task…" she sighs, but there's a look in her eyes I've recognized within so many people already that I know she's willing to take the risk. "But here goes nothing. Get down, please!"

Before we can stop her, a gale force similar to a tornado envelopes Azalea and we feel the air tear away at us as it is drawn toward her. Being the nearest to me, Grovyle ensnares me by the waist in order to protect me and pulls us both into the safety of one of his pits from using Dig. That brief second before I'm taking underground is all I have before watching the others dive behind the protection of the rocks. But I can't help myself: Even with Grovyle hanging onto me, I squint over the edge of the pit through the hail of dust and watch as Azalea takes in the poison—the beautiful fur along her back and the flowers adjacent to her skull withering and turning into an unhealthy purple color. Her whole body trembles and a collection of sweat has already begun to gather upon her forehead.

The miasma is beginning to clear, but it's just as Dusknoir predicted. She collapses onto ground even though she continues to absorb even more of the toxins. "She can't handle it…" I gasp, and my body moves into action before I can even think of stopping it.

"Lira—!"

"It's too much for her! She can't handle it!" I scream, and I somehow manage to scramble away from his arms and jump back into the open. As soon as I'm out there, I'm nearly wrenched by the winds until I throw myself at the ground and resort to crawling on the stomach to try and get to her. Some meters away, Ri avoids Dusknoir's grabbling to follow suit after catching sight of me and we help each other across the ruined land.

"K-keep away!" Azalea tries to warn us through her anguish, but of course we don't listen. The power of the winds and the miasma tear against us three, and on our knees we take hold of Azalea when we reach her. What do we even do? Can Ri use his healing abilities to help her? No, no that's for restoring aura. Oh Archeas, what can we do?

"We'll protect you!" I shout, but Dusknoir's words from earlier in our journey come back to be with a vengeance. _You shouldn't make such promises so readily. They'll come a time when you won't be able to fulfill them._ How could any of us have the power to protect her from a thing like this? Azalea…

"I won't let any more people die!"

As the cry leaves me, I'm startled by the sudden white light that seems to manifest at my core. It's not quite aura: It's not quite like anything I've ever known before. But it's very warm, like I'm standing in the sun, and for a moment it's as if all of my fears cease to exist. I raise my eyes to Ri only for them to widen at his teary, bewildered expression and the light that appears from him in the very same place.

And it's as though we both know what to do then. We clear our minds. Ri takes one of my hands and I press my own to Azalea's forehead, and with a deep breath we begin to channel our energy to her. Soon enough the light envelopes us all, and everything else seems to fade away.

 _I want to protect everyone. I want to keep the world safe and let everyone experience the same warmth that I'm feeling. The warm glow of life…_


	13. Chapter 13: The Summit at Sunset

I don't even know that I passed out until I feel the grass tickling against my cheek and the pounding of my heart at my temple, but I still feel that same peace as I did before I lost consciousness; the same warmth, only surrounding me instead of radiating from within. I wait to piece together my thoughts before attempting to open my eyes: We were climbing Sky Peak… The Muk and Grimer, Azalea taking in all of that miasma, that light…

"Azalea… Ri…" I groan, my eyelids fluttering open wearily as the world surrounding me tries to blur into focus. No sooner do I open them though am I forced to close them once again due to the stark brightness that assaults my vision. "Everyone… Is everyone alright?"

"Thank goodness she's ok," I hear Celebi sigh to my left. I push myself up into a sitting position, but my head reels in protest. I feel a hand catch me at the small of my back and someone else crawl upon my lap. Azalea maybe? I can't think of anyone else here small enough…

"Is everyone alright?" I repeat. I don't know what happened after we were claimed by the strong light: Everything else seemed to end the moment that it began. I don't know what happened, or what came over me—just that it felt strangely natural for what it was.

"Are _we_ alright?" I heard Grovyle echo from behind me, "You and Ri were the ones who ran straight into danger after that little Shaymin. We should be asking you that." His last few words sound a bit heated as they're directed at me, but I know it's only out of concern. Of course I would've worried him—sprinting headfirst into danger like that and then taking so long to wake back up. If I hadn't fallen unconscious, I can only imagine the tongue-lashing I would've gotten otherwise.

I rub my eyes with the back of my paws before attempting to reopen them—this time far more cautionate then earlier—and give them a proper chance to adjust. Slowly, the world blinks back into focus and I find the others gathered around me worriedly. The hand supporting my back belongs to Ri, and I find myself leading into his arms to rest my head against his shoulder when I learn this.

Only after I've performed rollcall in my mind am I able to set my sights on the newly reborn summit. It's such a drastic change from the dark place it was just moments ago that I can hardly believe we're really in the same spot as we were and it takes my breath away. The fractured and broken earth is completely healed and fresh grass and healthy flowers cover the once barren land. The air is so much cleaner now, and instead of miasma wrenching at my senses I find the pleasant scent of the blossoms wafting on a gentle breeze. The sun hangs as a golden sphere in a gradually darkening sky, painted in swaths of overlaying shades of pink, blue, and yellow—the beginnings of a gorgeous sunset. I can see the range of Craggy Coast way into the distance. Although we're higher than the clouds and the surrounding mountain landscape, it's not cold up here. If anything, it's just as nice as if we were back on level ground.

"I-I'm so glad that I climbed this mountain…" whispers Breloom in awe, who's done nothing but watch the scenery since I've awoken.

"Me too… I'm practically speechless…" says Mawile with a calm grin. Raising a hand to her stomach, she continues, "It must be this scenery itself that's the treasure. I can't think of a more beautiful sight."

We wouldn't even be able to enjoy this sight if it weren't for Azalea. I look to her now, tired, but otherwise fine as she rests atop my legs. Her natural pallor has returned to her and all signs of the poisons in her system seem to have cleared.

"I used my Heal Bell again just to be safe, but it seemed like pretty much everything had cleared out already," Celebi confirms as I begin to lightly stroke the small Pokemon's back with my fingertips. How is it that I've gotten so attached to her so quickly? She's cute, yes, and her sweet disposition could melt any heart: It hasn't taken long for me to learn that she avoids conflict at all costs if she believes she can reason with her opponents first. She's so innocent…

Like I was when I was little—and still am in some ways. Maybe that's why she's grown so easily on me. I can see a little bit of myself in her.

"It's thanks to you and Ri that she's still alive," Dusknoir says as he draws nearer to us, "If you hadn't stepped in when you did, it's unlikely that she would've pulled through." The way he says it with such certainty is scary, and I instinctually shift my arms around her as if to shield her from old wounds.

"To be honest, I don't understand _how_ we did it…" Ri shrugs, his brows knitted in confusion as he looks to me searchingly. I can only offer him a bewildered shrug of my own though: I can't even guess at what happened to us.

"Well, I think you both have proven a theory of mine." My ears perk up with intrigue and I snap my gaze back on the Ghost-type. Has he finally found some answers?! He returns our stares with a scientist's methodical calm and continues by first asking, "You do remember how peculiar it was when you travelled to Luminous Spring and its long-dead powers were restored without apparent reason?" We both nod rapidly in answer and I bite my lower lip. "What happened there and what happened here are connected incidents—connected by you.

"Other than for Lira's Dimensional Scream and Ri's nature as a gatekeeper of sorts with his Relic Fragment, we've heard of no other great powers in our research of the previous generation of the Guardians of Light. Whether it's because the world has been relatively at peace or because they were born somewhere far beyond our knowledge, I cannot say." He redirects his words from just us to everyone gathered around. "Lira and Ri can use aura. Celebi, you're a legendary. However, the previous Guardians could've been anyone in the world. It stands to reason that if they were to run into any great danger that, in the very least, one of them would require some other ability for them to protect themselves—though it's obvious this power stretches far beyond that."

Obvious? I'm still trying to wrap my head around being a Guardian of Light: There's nothing obvious to me about any of this. But I keep quiet about this rather than interrupt.

"The Dimensional Scream and the Relic Fragment's power are both time-related—derived from Dialga's gift to the First Child and one of his companions. Yet in every trace of the legend that there is, it's stated that it was Dialga _and_ Palkia that gave power to the first Guardians. I wouldn't doubt it if Girantina, or Arceus himself, were involved as well for the First Child to have been brought back to life. There could be so much more to your abilities than what we could ever hope to learn."

Dusknoir's steady gaze finally settles back on Ri and myself. I nearly shrink back under that gaze, and I feel the same heavy weight upon my shoulders that's been placed there time and time again throughout my life. "Once all other conclusions were scratched out, I debated whether or not the power of Luminous Spring might have somehow reactivated because of you two. You said you didn't think you would've done anything to have caused it?"

I swallow before replying, "All I did was use the Dimensional Scream to check on the chest that Wigglytuff left for our exam."

"And that's just it. Nothing happened until _after_ you used the Dimensional Scream. It must have triggered something within the place's essence, as if you told it that the world was restored to its natural order and it could safely channel its powers freely once more." He then gestures to Azalea with a wave of his hand. "As for this incident, I think it was from your and Ri's deep want to safe both this place and Shaymin that your abilities activated—that's what that light was. In a word, it's a sort of healing or stabilizing charm. Your powers are growing stronger, and I wouldn't be surprised if Grovyle or Celebi began showing signs of such abilities as well."

As the two others in our team gape at him in shock, clearly denying it, it doesn't escape me that Dusknoir doesn't mention the possibility of himself possessing such abilities. There are supposed to be five Guardians of Light—and according to Dialga, Dusknoir is one of us. Like the others, he already fully well knows this. Maybe he thinks he's spent so much of his life embracing darkness that he can't be a defender of the light… It's hard to tell what's going on in that head of his.

"But we didn't do anything," Ri contradicts. "All we were thinking about at the time was that we wanted to protect Azalea. We didn't try to use any special powers."

"I'm going out on a limb here by saying this, but I feel those particular abilities are more so knee-jerk reactions," he retorts. "There's a chance you might someday be able to control them, but right now it can be compared to when a member of your species is born and uses aura for the first time. It's natural and untrained, full of hidden strength and untapped potential."

"Let's just be thankful that you have those powers," Machoke steps forward with a grin as he says this, "or who knows how long the summit might've stayed like this or if Azalea would've pulled through."

"I'll be eager to come back someday," Mawile adds.

Finally I have the chance to ask Team Frontier, "How were the three of you able to catch up with us so quickly anyway. We thought you were heading back down to the base."

"Yes, but when we saw how determined you and so many of the others were to reach the summit, we realized we couldn't just give up on being some of the last to get here either," their team leader winks mischievously. "We had Drifblim fly us as far as she could before running after you on our own." That makes sense: I imagine that our time spent taking care of Sneasel also gave them some room to catch up.

"But we weren't expecting to see you all in action like that, let alone fight alongside you," Mawile smiles at her teammates. "So that was Team Crusade's power… It was amazing to get to see it firsthand!"

All of a sudden Breloom turns a shade paler than normal and his eyes widen to near-perfect circles. Worry and apprehension pours from him like water, and he hastily turns to the Iron-type in a frantic, shaky voice, "Arceus, in the excitement of everything, I… Oh—um! Uh! You are feeling ok, aren't you, Mawile?!" He takes her hand in his in attempt to set her down upon the grass, but she only raises an incredulous brow at him. "No cramps or anything? I-is the baby—?"

Wait… _Baby?!_ I feel myself stiffen at the very mention of the word and draw in a terse breath.

"If travelling around with you two hasn't made me miscarry by now, nothing will!" she quips at the now flustered duo that is Breloom and Machoke. Still, whatever irritation she feels at being fawned over in such an overprotective manner ebbs as she gives her stomach an affectionate pat and begins to smile once more. "But… this really will be a nice adventure to tell the little biter someday. I guess this technically will count as their first one. I'm going to have to bring them back here after they hatch."

Mawile is… pregnant… The same Mawile I knew in the resistance, her daughter, is growing inside her tummy—just waiting to be born… I feel a subtle grin pull at the corner of my lips. _You're going to have a better future now_ , I want to say. This is the only solid proof I've seen that has let me know that I did get to save the girl and the others in the future after all. Now, she'll get to grow up with her mother and father, in a safe and peaceful world full of stars and sunshine. I couldn't wish for anything better.

* * *

After we'd all given the summit a thorough look over just to be sure that the miasma has completely been purged, the celebrations begin. With the day being as crazy as it's been, I nearly forgot about the work everyone's put into to try and have a party for me until I was banished to a small wait-high pool of water to free my fur of the remaining grime clinging to it while the preparations got underway. Now I'm left alone to watch the violet, miniscule clumps slide off of me and into the water before dissolving the sudsy solution of lavender and other herbs gathered from the plants that flourish here.

Once Azalea had recovered her strength, she had offered to take us back down mountain and showed us the amazing gift of her species. There's a flower here that—from what anyone knows—only grows here on Sky Peak, at the summit, known as a Gracidea. When it's in bloom, the Shaymin can withdraw energy from it in order to temporarily change their forms and give them the power to fly. However, Gracideas seal up at night, and even in her Sky Form she was still much too small to carry any of us—besides maybe Celebi—as she had offered. We still have the Escape Orb, and we're planning on camping out up here for the night before we decide how we'll leave in the morning.

Ri invited Team Frontier to stay and join us for the party since they were already here, and none of us really mind: If he and the others are going to go through all of this trouble for my sake anyway, why not? Though I still fail to see what the big deal is about. It's just my birthday, and it's not like I'm a little kid anymore.

Though the sky continues to grow darker, Dusknoir's ignited a few lanterns using Will-O-Wisp so we can see just fine. It's a beautiful night, with the stars shining clearly up above as a light meteor shower begins, the alluring glow of the lanterns and hushed chatter in the distance making me feel so at home up here.

After drying myself off, I take the journal and graphite that Ri left out for me and begin sketching one of the half-open buds of the Gracidea blossoms. Now that I'm back, we've both been taking turns writing about our adventures and all the new things we've learned. I snort though, thinking that if we keep moving at our pace that we're going to fill a library of books with our stories.

Perhaps an hour and a half has passed by the time Grovyle give me the go-ahead to return to them. They've all already cleaned up, so—just as they intended—I'm all that's left. I don't know what to expect as I round the cluster of boulders that marked the division between them and me, and it stuns me when I see how much effort they've put into all of this. Spread out atop two conjoined blankets is a feast of various foods: A bowl of different kinds of fruits and berries, the stir fry that Ri made the first night we stayed in Sharpedo Bluff, a tray of the sweet poffins I like so much, an attempt at pizza—both cheese and pineapple—that I can only imagine they got from the things I told them about my time spent away when I briefly returned to my human life. The masterpiece of it all though is the teal and pale yellow, frosted cake dotted with a ring of strawberries.

There's also of presents sitting in the one, empty corner of the two blankets shared by my friends and family—a good number of which bear white wrapping paper and are tied shut with a light pink bow. For a moment, I think it's a bit overkill, but whatever look I make must give away my thoughts, as Azalea explains, "Those are Sky Gifts from Team Frontier and me."

"You really didn't have to do all that," I reply bashfully. One of my ears flops back in the odd mix of feelings I have over the matter. I'm flattered, but not only did they just find out about my birthday a mere two hours ago—we just only met today. We invited them to join us to be polite: It's not like they were expected of anything in return.

"Sky Gifts are treasures known only to this mountain," Mawile adds as she shrugs. "They can only be opened as gifts given to other people. We found plenty when we were setting up the base, so we're just glad to finally have some use for them."

Noticing my persisting reluctance to accept, Ri laughs, stands up, and walks over to me to give me a playful lick on the cheek. "Just let us do this for you, Lira," he smiles. "This may seem weird, but this isn't just all about you: _We_ wanted to give you this, because _you_ are such an important part of our lives. We wanted to let you know how much you mean to us. The very day you were born is the day all of us were fated to meet you, and why wouldn't we want to celebrate that?"

His words render me mute. It's not that I didn't know already that they cared about me, but to hear put it so eloquently… I blink rapidly to contain the moisture forming in my eyes and smile back at him as he takes my hand and pulls me forward to sit in the center of our group.

Heh… I guess I'm not allowed to speak against birthdays anymore…


	14. Chapter 14: Admiration

The festivities didn't end after we left Sky Peak. Not long after we made it back to Treasure Town, a get-together was held at _Spinda's Café_ for all of the explorers who had ventured up the mountain. Everyone stayed up until dawn trying out the new recipes Spinda had crafted from the indigenous foods and sharing stories of their various adventures—though I hate to admit it, but our team probably got the most attention for the trip. Nevermind our not being first to reach the summit: It seems that just having reached the summit is enough of a feat for some people. And apparently Team Frontier has been spreading the word about what happened with the Muk and Grimer, which doubly raised a fuss.

Of course, I also think our new team member had to do with part of the commotion. I still don't know if it was a good idea to let her join us, but it was hard to say 'no' to such an eager Pokemon.

* * *

" _Wait! Waaiiiit!"_

 _It was hard to see the camouflaged Shaymin running toward us across the valley—down the very path we had just taken as we left their village to head back home—until her high-pitched cry reached our ears. At first we had wondered if something was wrong: Maybe the Muk and Grimer had turned hostile again, or some other enemy had appeared. However, a quick observation through our aura told Ri and me that everything was fine. Thus, we stopped and gave the tiny Pokemon the chance to catch up to us. She was already panting heavily from the sprint as she closed the distance, and the saddle bags she carried on her back dragged along the earth as she moved._

 _Finally reaching us, she stopped to get a breath back into her lungs before speaking, "There's something…" she huffed, "I wanted to ask you guys…"_

" _Are you feeling alright, Azalea?" I asked, kneeling on the ground as Ri squatted next to me. I don't think she had tried to slow down once and the distance from where we were to the village was a good jog for someone her size._

 _She had given a brisk nod and swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut. "I was deeply moved while climbing the mountain with you, Team Crusade. I won't forget it!" She bowed her head at us. "So, I was wondering…. What do you think? That is, letting me join Team Crusade?"_

 _Ri and I nearly recoiled in surprise at the unexpected request, and the others could only stare in awkward silence. I looked back at the trio of my fellows from the future only to be rewarded with expressions just as startled and blank as my own. Ri and I had been asked before to dismantle our team of two and join others when we were still apprentices, and the reason we had Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir join was because it wasn't even a matter of question: We'd never considered trying to find any other members besides them—certainly not anyone we only recently met or anyone much younger than us._

 _As if sensing our hesitation, she continued pleadingly, "Please, let me come with you! Even before the earthquake happened, I'd never once set foot outside of the village. I love the mountain, and I love all of the Pokemon who live here, but I want to go out and see the world for myself. I want to meet new people and learn new things and…" finally she raised her eyes to us, "and I think I have the best chance at doing all of that if I can travel with you. I know I'm not a fighter, but I can get stronger! I'll do whatever it takes!"_

 _Ri and I turned to one another in silent discussion, saying nothing but with our eyes and through aura. Was it really ok to bring her along? If we were just a regular exploration team, that would've been one thing—but we seemed to regularly fall into danger as Guardians of Light. Could we really put her at risk knowing that? Then there was her lack of experience and her age to consider. Letting her join us and then taking her on a mission set at our level would be like taking a lamb to slaughter._

 _But there had been an unwavering resolve in her gaze, and a hopefulness that we both recognized. A desire for grand adventures and new experiences—places beyond imagination and treasures unlike anything we'd ever known... We'd been there too._

 _We shared a small smile._

" _Alright," I had sighed, "You can tag along. But you have to follow our orders to the letter and let us know when you're struggling."_

 _She beamed, "Really?! Th-thank you so very much!" Azalea then jumped into my arms, pressing her paws to my chest. "I'm so incredibly happy! I didn't even think I could bring myself to ask!"_

 _Neither Grovyle nor Dusknoir seemed all too thrilled about having her, but I knew it was from their own reservations about the risks. As for Celebi, she readily welcomed the new recruit and took her from my hold at the nearest opportunity just to have the chance to carry her around._

* * *

We got Diglett and Dugtrio to make her a burrow of sorts at Sharpedo Bluff so she'd have her own space, but it isn't like we're going to let her do whatever she wants and follow us through fire and brimstone. One of the terms we made was that she'd take the apprenticeship program as we had to in order to build up her strength. Normally, she'd stay in our room, but with us already having graduated she's sleeping with Chimecho and Sunflora instead. It's not a problem though: Everyone at the Guild took to her quickly. I'm certain that they'll look after Azalea during her training, and when it's finally time for her to take the graduation exam we'll do all that we can to prepare her and cheer her on.

Celebi and I have gained status as her mother hens though: Checking on her every so often to make sure the training isn't too difficult for her and that she's getting enough to eat. The only difference between us is that, while Celebi encourages her to follow every one of the Guild's rules to heart, I'm the bad-influence encouraging her to follow mine and Ri's tradition of mischief-making for Chatot. She already knows she can sneak around him after curfew once he's fallen asleep at his perch on the ladder entrance: What she hasn't entirely figured out yet is how to successfully climb the ladders without help.

The only other news regarding Azalea is how Bidoof's seemed to take a strong liking to her. I hope all goes well for his sake, but I get the feeling that soon enough Ri and I won't be the only ones subject to our Guildmates' teasing.

"Lira, do we have everything?" Ri asks me as he enters our room with a pair of bento boxes he just prepared in the Guild's mess hall for our lunch later today. Even through where we're headed isn't very far off from Treasure Town, we're leaving pretty late in the morning. Ah, to be spared from Loudred's wake-up calls: Utter bliss!

"I think so," I say, checking the last of the items within our Treasure Bag and slipping it over my shoulders. Although I say this, our pack is actually pretty empty. Officer Magnezone asked us to look for a criminal last spotted near the Apple Woods, and since we're headed that way Chatot asked us to gather some Perfect Apples for the Guildmaster. It seems they're running low thanks to Wigglytuff's cravings. Again… We've even bothered to pack Heal Seeds instead of berries in order to make more room. The only other things we've made sure to bring along with us are a couple of Max Elixirs in case we need a jolt of energy and a few Oran berries.

Ri slips our lunch within the bag before taking his everyday bandana off of the bed and tying it around his neck. "The last time we did this errand, we got attacked by Team Salacious," he notes, smirking at the memory. At least one of us can look back on it with some humor. "Let's hope that this trip goes better."

"Yeah, well if the Duke of the Dump, Dweedledum, and Dweedledumber follow us and try anything like they did back then, we'll be ready for them," I quip. I probably shouldn't call them names like that since we had that little 'heart-to-heart' before we left for Temporal Tower and they _have_ been leaving us alone, but one right doesn't make up for all of the things they pulled during our apprenticeship. I'm just too stubborn to forgive and forget that easily, even if they might not be as bad as we once thought. "If all else fails, we can blast them with aura and send them flying out of the forest."

He tussles my hair a bit before we step out into the hall—so much quieter than what we're used to since most everyone's already hard at work at this hour of the day. By now Azalea should be training with Sunflora and Croagunk to work on type disadvantages, and I think Grovyle and Celebi said that they would be going out today to talk to Torkoal at the Hot Springs. With his memory, it's hard to get information out of him; however, he seems to always have some clue regarding the legends like the one involving Ri's Relic Fragment, so he's the best person any of us have been able to speak with regarding the history of the past Guardians of Light.

As for Dusknoir, he's back to being stuck in his room, having partially solved one mystery regarding our strange abilities and on his way to try and uncover more. It's clear the Azalea's intimidated by him, but I think she's been making an effort in our place to try and coax him out of there more often.

After stepping outside, we hardly make it to the crossroads before being stopped by one of the explorers from the trip to Sky Peak—the Mr. Mime that we saw on the day we first heard about the mountain. It's only chance that we run into him, but when he catches sight of us he makes a point of changing his course and a breakneck pace in order speak with us. "Hello! Going off exploring yet again, yes? You both are so very energetic!"

"If we were energetic we would've gotten moving a lot earlier than this," I joke.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Ri asks, getting to the heart of the matter while still being pleasant. Normally he isn't so abrupt, but now that we are leaving for Apple Woods I think he's just eager to get there. It has been awhile and the longer we twiddle our thumbs the more lucky that criminal Magnezone wants us to catch is likely to slip away.

"I was just wondering if you two had heard the tale of the famous explorer, Scizor," he answers, his stare glimmering a bit excitedly—which is only enhanced by the confused look I give him. I've never heard of him, naturally, but chances are that my partner has.

Of course he has. "I know that he was famous for his travels." He turns to me and explains further, "I used to look up to him when I was a kid from just hearing stories."

"Scizor was an explorer extraordinaire whose fame stretched across the world," adds the Psychic-type with a nod. "Truly, he had a reputation that all explorers aspired toward, but he went missing while he was exploring Blizzard Island—far in the southwest. Many exploration teams set out to rescue him, but one and all, they were forced to turn back thanks to the bitter cold and swirling blizzards until none dared try again. It's a tale from many years ago.

"Rumors now say that searching for Scizor is like searching for an amazing treasure. You're an incredible team, Team Crusade, what with saving the world and all. No exploration teams have gone off to Blizzard Island since the rescue efforts were called off years ago, but by any chance would you be willing to go?"

I don't really like comparing a person to 'an amazing treasure,' no matter what the rumors. Still, I'm not against trying to find him— _if_ he's even alive that is. That Pokemon has been missing for years now, and if the island is that inhospitable than the chances of survival are not in the Bug-type's favor. However, I smirk when I see Ri's gleam match the other Pokemon's excited glimmer. He wants to go. Not that I can blame him, even if I'm not fond of returning to the cold weather when spring only just got here not too long ago. I only have a few precautions is all. I wouldn't want Grovyle or Celebi—yes, even with her being a legendary—going to a place like that with their type disadvantage. Definitely not Azalea. From the way it sounds, Grovyle might even ban Ri and myself from going even if it means he has to tie us to one of the Guild's totem poles in order to do so.

But it looks like it's already been decided as Mr. Mime marks the island on our map. I've a suspicion he wants us to go there in part for finding out what happened to Scizor and in part for getting another story out of this. He'll be the one who let Team Crusade in on a juicy lead for their next adventure, an impossible feat that no explorer has done before. I guarantee that this won't stay between us for very long.

Sometimes I really hate being famous for saving the planet.

I didn't think our next great adventure would come up so soon, but I'm glad it keeps us busy in the very least. How we'll get to the island is another question, but then Lapras has been hanging around a lot lately: She said it's because of Ri, and that since he acts as the gatekeeper to the Hidden Land that she shouldn't go too far for any long period of time in case we ever need to go back. It might be a little beyond her duties, but it couldn't hurt to ask her for a ride.

An island covered with ice and snow throughout the year, constantly wracked by blizzards and snowstorms… It sounds more like it's the dwelling of a bunch of Ice-types that can bring such weather with them rather than a place that would form naturally. We have a lot to do in order to prepare for the voyage.


	15. Chapter 15: Blizzard Island

"We _just_ went to a snow-capped mountain about a week ago: Why did we have to go somewhere _even colder_?! The next time we go on a mission to a forbidden land, it better be in the t-tropics!" my frustrated shout carries over the roaring winds that tear away at our forms as we hike through the frozen, rocky landscape that makes up Blizzard Island. That is, before I clench my teeth together in order to stop them from chattering.

"If you keep saying things like that," Ri smirks at me, pulling his scarf down a bit in order to speak, "you might jinx us and we'll have to go to a volcano next."

"I'll take fiery magma over this any day…"

Ri and the others were right: I really can't handle the cold very well—and, unfortunately, the island lives up to its name. Even dressed as the two of us are—wooly footwraps laced from knee to toe, a black cloak for him and a dark brown cloak for me draped over our bodies with the hoods drawn up over our heads, and our scarves fastened around our necks—the chilling winds still manage to cut through us to the bone. I shiver while I try to keep my tail beneath the fabric of my cloak, sniffling from a runny nose. At least we aren't waist-deep in snow, but that's only because the ground has frozen over so much that it's as if we're standing on a giant glazier. Aura or no, we couldn't break through it if we tried.

To call the Pokemon that live here hostile would be putting it lightly. It's one thing that we can't even understand them—it seems they've been isolated here for so long and to such a degree that they have their own language—but any attempt we make to try to talk to them is dispelled by an onslaught of Water and Ice-type attacks. Being a Pokemon myself and rarely having need for the device it's not often that I wish for it, but right now I'd want nothing more than to have my Styler repaired and securely fastened to my wrist. If it allowed humans to communicate with Pokemon that they had just met and befriend them, I've no doubt that it could solve the boundaries of language between Pokemon.

But I guess even if it was built to handle some water damage that no piece of technology can last through months spent under the sea being battered by the waves… If I ever knew how to fix it, I've long forgotten it: That only leaves Grovyle—the only other person who spent enough time with me to have a basic idea of its system besides Ri's older self—to see to the repairs. It's slow going, and the materials needed to replace some of the broken parts aren't the easiest to come by, but he feels it may someday be of use again. And when it can be used, he's made me swear never to part with it again… Even though I had lost my memories, he makes it well known through his grumbling over the device how upset he is that I threw it away—even if it meant hiding the fact that I was human and avoiding suspicion.

I grimace. Chances are that I'll be due for another lecture from him when we get back home. He was completely against to our travelling to such a desolate place, and we had to sneak away by the cover of nightfall in order to avoid his watchful eye—knowing Ri and I both all too well to have trusted that we'd just do what he said and remain put. I think we'll be fine, but it's not like I don't understand how terrified he is either. In his eyes, he's already lost me once and he's scared of it happening again. Not only that, but by all technical means, he's already visited Blizzard Island once and knows how dangerous it is here.

It was this island that Dusknoir and Grovyle journeyed to in the future when they heard that Celebi was being pursued by Primal Dialga—all while Ri and I were trying to save Temporal Tower here in the past. Of course, at the time it was all a trap set by the Gripper Pokemon. Not far from where we trek is a place called the Icicle Forest, and it was there that Grovyle nearly had his spirit melted away by the mysterious, electrical discharge of four ancient pillars. I can't imagine a worse fate, and even now I feel myself tremble more than from the bitter cold as I think of it.

There was one thing that Ri and I did before travelling here in order to temper my brother-figure's outrage at or having gone. However, whatever relief it may give him in the future only fills me with lingering apprehension now.

Ri and I decided on taking one other person with us on the trip, and there was only one other person besides on in Team Crusade who didn't have a type disadvantage: Dusknoir… I barely look back at him from out of the corner of my eye to where he follows at the back of our trio. He does all he can to help us when we ask him to, and he really is trying to make things right for all he's done in the past, but it's just so hard to shake the foreboding I once carried whenever I was around him. I had thought that I had grown to accept him more when we were climbing Sky Peak—I don't think I felt any of the horror that I feel now—but maybe it's just being here, and knowing that he was planning to do such a terrible thing, even if he saved Grovyle in the end… It's scary…

I shake my head in order to repel these thoughts. It isn't like that anymore, and I have more pressing matters that I need to focus on. Ri and I can't sense Scizor anywhere, so that's left me to follow his trail by using the Dimensional Scream. The visions that play in my mind's eye reveal that he truly was the great explorer that other claimed him to be, but could he really still be alive after all this time? I want to hope for the best, but I'm not dense. I mean, it's not exactly a good sign when someone goes missing for several years.

Essentially, we have to move to and from checkpoints: From wherever I receive the next vision to where vision ends and I use the Dimensional Scream again. It's tiring, but at least I get some practice at mastering the ability in the meantime. I just wish the signs in the present were more obvious than they are, and that I wasn't left to grasp at straws over where we should go next whenever I'm given only audible clues to go by.

 _Thankfully, the next clue I get is a visual one. I watch as the Scizor of the past evades a group of Cryogonal in pursuit, charging through the snow at a breakneck pace over and taking the rightmost path. A flurry of hail surrounds him as he vanishes beyond the steep cliffs in the distance..._

Then a haunting premonition creeps along the path of my spine, bringing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. At first I think it has something to do with the vision, but it ends abruptly and I'm brought to the usual momentary daze that I always experience in real-time after using the Dimensional Scream. Though the vision is gone, the feeling remains. I bring a hand up to my aching head.

"Lira, look out!"

Everything seems to move in slow motion as I blink wearily and turn my gaze to a subtle rumble from above. My eyes widen in panic as I watch a tsunami of ice and snow break away from the cliffs above us and descend—right where I'm standing. It's too sudden, and I can't move out of the way in time.

A solid weight rams into my chest and sends me flying, but still not far enough out of range. Ri! Now Ri's in danger too! As we brace against each other, all I can piece together from the terror that possesses me is how we're both about to be crushed. I sit up and pull his head to my chest protectively, though no attempt to shield him with my body will save either of us from being smothered if the impact itself doesn't do us in. My heart thumping loudly in my chest, I do the only other things I know I can do: Reach out through my aura and pray for a miracle.

The split seconds between the avalanche's collision and the sky blue light that envelopes us are indescribable. I simply go numb, and in the end I don't know which of us was able to cast a protective bubble of aura. Either way we're quickly buried beneath the ice and snow, and as soon as we can gather our wits about us we struggle in maintaining the barrier. All that prevents us from being smothered to death is that thin, glass-like wall of energy. It's dark, save for the aura's glow, and we can't see anything beyond the ice.

Somehow Dusknoir's muffled shout still manages to reach our ears, but neither of us dares answer for the fear of losing our concentration. Instead, we can only emanate a pulse of aura to let him know that we're still alive—hoping that it reaches him.

What… what just happened to us? It may seem that way to me because I was using the Dimensional Scream, but there wasn't any warning. Not a sign of falling debris or a telltale sound of the ice when it first broke away. It happened so quick and was far too close a call.

We eventually see fire eat away at the ice surrounding us, but only after the ice and snow has completely crumbled or melted and we catch sight of our teammate's face do we lower the barrier. The pure white pile surrounding us is large enough in diameter to be a den, and Dusknoir has to practically scoop us out of our crater. I latch onto both him and Ri for support as I step back into the open air.

"What could've caused that?" Ri asks, his voice breathless his face much paler than it had been only minutes ago. Clearly, I'm not the only one rattled. He leans his weight toward the rock wall, only to take another look above us and retreat back a few steps to rest a moment with his hands on his knees. "I didn't see anyone or anything up there. It was like some sort of freak accident."

Neither Dusknoir nor I can offer him any answer. He stares at where the ice had fallen and I swallow hard. I know people said that this place was dangerous, but I hadn't imagined it being to this extreme. Still, it's not like us to turn back and even if we did, we're so far away from where Lapras is waiting that it would be nightfall well before we got to her. It's better if we press on now in order to find Scizor and do all we can to retreat back the way we came in the morning.

"Let's just keep moving," I instruct, readjusting my hood—which had fallen back during the avalanche—and spinning around on my heel to lead the way once more. "The sooner we get off this frozen rock, the better."

* * *

The Dimensional Scream eventually takes us further along the trail of cliffs until we eventually reach a series of cave passageways. I purse my lips as we enter, finding it spitefully ironic that we have to travel underground after what we've just been through. Still, we grit our teeth and bare it: I have a funny feeling that we're getting closer to whatever it is we'll find relating to Scizor's disappearance.

The dark passages block out any trace of sunlight that might've found its way through the blanket of clouds outside, leaving us in near total darkness. I form a tiny Aura Sphere within the palm of my hand for a light source as we continue our way into the bowels of earth.

But the visions I'm getting are changing. It may be in part due to the encroaching shadows that fill these caves, but I'm only able to glimpse at silhouettes of figures instead of actual people. More importantly though, I'm sensing Scizor's presence less and less and instead I'm getting readings of a much darker entity. But the presence seems fragmented, fading in and out of existence, and I begin to wonder if it's just my mind playing tricks on me from the near-accident and repeated headaches.

I wish it was only that anyway.

Terror comes before relief when we enter the final chamber and find the Pokemon we've been searching for. At first, we easily thought it was just an empty space, however, the further we walked in the more Ri and I began to realize that we could sense a faint, flicker of life on the farthest side of it. We stepped closer and nearly missed spotting the large shape of ice pressed in a nook in the wall. I raised my Aura Sphere higher, bringing the light to shine of the block and taking a step back with a frightened gasp as the contrasting, reddened figure trapped inside is revealed.

It's Scizor who's been taken prisoner by the ice—his claw-like hands raised before him in defense and a tired, scared expression stuck upon his features. I'm so shocked by this revelation that I can hardly move or speak.

"Is he still alive?" Dusknoir asks, breaking the silence while he forms a ball of fire within one hand. Though I think he'll have more trouble thawing out Scizor than he did with digging us out of the snow.

"I—I think so...?" Ri nods hesitantly in answer. I know how he feels: It's difficult to bring ourselves to recognize what we see with what we sense. "I-it's like he's barely hanging on, but… I think he's still alive."

Great… This missions just keeps getting better and better. "How exactly are we going to rescue this… this _Scizor-cicle?_ " I question once I finally have the voice to. "Even if we could move him like this, I don't think Lapras could carry him."

"We'll… just have to do what we can to break him free on our own," Ri answers with a his ears flopped back despairingly. Easier said than done. If it's even possible, it would have to be a delicate process: One wrong move could harm the veteran explorer as we tried to liberate him.

Placing his hand against the ice, Ri's face twists into an expression of pain. Even without ever having met him before, I guess it's hard for him to see one of the heroes from his childhood like this. "Just what could've happened to him?" he asks softly.

Only one true way to find out. I move forward once again, prepared to use the Dimensional Scream for the umpteenth time that day, only for the sound of a high-pitched giggle to stop me before I can act. It's a jeering sort of laugh, and one that rakes at the back of your neck with a sharp and chilling touch.

"Visitors… What a rare sight," an airy, feminine voice chirps before the chamber is enveloped by a sudden, blinding gale of frost. It's the first person speaking our own language that we've heard on the island, but it offers no comfort. As I see a figure begin to appear, I tug Ri back with me in order to avoid the newcomer's path. That brief second of confusion is all it takes to separate us from Scizor.

The Pokemon that appears before is after the winds stop is a delicate, humanoid with a torso reminiscent of a kimono with a red, sash-like band—detailed with a violet, white, and powder blue coloration. Two 'crystal' appendages stick out of her head above a diamond shape carved in the center of her skull, and her cold eyes pierce at us with a possessive gaze.

"I'm Froslass," she introduces, "I play host to the infrequent visitors to this frozen hinterland!" Her tone is kind and almost motherly, but it's her eyes and how predatory they are that continue to disturb me.

"It must have been awfully exhausting for you to fight those blizzards. Please, come closer." She spreads her arms out in an all-encompassing gesture, but none of us move at her invitation. We remain silent, eying her suspiciously. It doesn't take long for her to read into our hesitation and whatever act she's trying to pull fades as she laughs once again, bringing her fingers to her lips. "You must be chilled almost down to the bone…"

She stretches her mouth into a toothy grin, "So let me freeze you solid! All the way down to the bone! Oh! You're so cute! You'll do so very nicely in my little collection!"

I bristle at her words, expanding the Aura Sphere to fit in both of my hands while Ri gets into a fighting stance. The two of us use Foresight simultaneously as we prepare to charge through the torrent of hail that begins to start up at her command. What we're not prepared for is how truly cold it is. Nevermind the weather outside: I feel my muscles stiffen from the frigid air and my pulse begin to slow. My breath catches before I feel a sudden drowsiness fall over me. It's like all of my energy is fading.

For some reason, it's even hard for me to maintain my Aura Sphere.

The next thing I know, Dusknoir shoves both Ri and myself out of the way. Like a doll, I fall limply to the cave floor and the ball of light is extinguished. Still, no sooner has the chamber grown dark does it brighten once again as he uses Will-O-Wisp to create a wall of fire that shields the three of us from the icy winds. A cloud of mist rises from the conflict of fire and ice, and soon the whole area becomes enshrouded in it.

"Do not allow yourselves to be caught by Froslass' icy breath!" he barks at Ri and me, holding his ground as he stares the other Ghost-type in the eye. "She can lower it to nearly fifty-degrees Celsius and freeze you in a block of ice right where you stand!"

I shiver as I slowly begin to regain my body heat, gritting my teeth. So that's what she meant: She's trying to make us suffer the same fate as Scizor—to keep us here as grim, frozen trophies! And if any of the other rescue teams had made it this far, than she would've done the same thing to them!

"Just stay down!" Dusknoir orders, the mouth of his stomach beginning to open and reveal a swirling, violet vortex as the room grows dim once more and he begins to use Dark Pulse. "This should be over in moments!"


	16. Chapter 16: Frozen and Fiery Hearts

You'd think that with each of them having a sizable advantage over the other thanks to their typing that the battle would move quickly. However, the possibility of being seriously injured with just one attack seems to leave the both of them hesitant to act. They stand in anticipation against one another, sizing each other up with their attacks readied. I don't know what I can say about Froslass other than that she's completely demented and crazy people are hard to predict, but even for all of the brawn Dusknoir possesses there's no denying that keen and tactical mind of his. There's purpose to withholding his Dark Pulse back like an arrow fastened to a taut bowstring: He's waiting for the right moment to strike.

I try to push myself back onto my feet, but only manage to shakily lift my torso off the ground. My body still doesn't want to do what I tell it to and I feel sluggish from the cold. I look to my left to see that at least Ri was able to stand up again, but beyond that he seems to be in no better a state than I am. To think that any Pokemon would be able to use an Ice-type attack even able to knock Fighting-types like us for a loop… I don't even know if a Fire-type would be able to handle anything so extreme.

My breath dances before me in a spiraling arc as I make another effort to stand, and it is more so through stubborn willpower above anything else that I'm finally able to carry my weight on my own legs. I might not be worth much for this fight, the way I feel, but I can't accept staying down either. Dusknoir may be tough, but in no way is he invincible—not to mention that it'll be harder for him to fight if he's stuck hovering over Ri and me. Any way you look at it, he can't be left to stand up to Froslass alone.

But it seems all I'm good for like this is acting as bait. My rising startles Froslass into action, and no sooner have I gotten back on my feet am I knocked right back off of them again by a swift blow of Ice Shards. Taking advantage of the split second distraction, Dusknoir releases his own pent-up attack and the mass of charged, dark energy is fired upon the other ghost. Nimbly moving out of the way just in time, she is only caught in the side. Dusknoir curses under his breath, but it seems to be enough to at least rattle her composure a bit.

I feel myself being lifted up from behind beneath my arms and crane my neck around to see Ri standing behind me. "Think you can use Circle Throw to get me in the air?" he asks in a brisk tone. Can I do that with Circle Throw: As if he _has_ to ask. Taking him by the arms, I brace myself upon one foot while planting the other against his stomach as gently as I can before flipping the both of us—letting go of my hold on him with just enough time to catch myself in the turn back around. Ri is sent soaring high above us, nearly scraping the cave ceiling, before he abruptly changes direction by shifting his body into a downward arc—right toward Froslass—while using High Jump Kick.

It misses when Froslass dives out of range, but all Ri has to do to prevent hurting himself is to change targets. He aims instead for the frozen Scizor—the force behind the blow enough to crack part of the ice and give me the hopes in our freeing the veteran explorer.

"No, no, no!" she vexes at Ri, readying another collection of Ice Shards in one hand with a grimace of outrage and vaulting them at him like throwing knives. Ri lunges off of the block of ice and rolls out of the way to avoid being struck. "You brat—keep away from him! He's mine!"

With her attention turned away from us, I lift my paw in the air and feel the cold winds whip around me from all directions as my aura sensors rise alongside my head. My feet rise off the ground as I'm swept up in the middle of a small twister, and I cross my hands in front of me before thrusting a pulse of air forward as I use Vacuum Wave.

This is one attack that not even she can avoid—definitely not after our using Foresight earlier. The gale force knocks her back and gives Ri the opportunity to slip around her safely. However, the brief advantage doesn't last as the winds are turned against me: An icy breath is sent amid the spiral of the twister, stabbing my lungs with the piercing cold and bringing me back down to the cave floor.

Staggering forward, a dark sphere passes over my head as Dusknoir uses Shadow Ball and collides with Froslass—who's still recovering from the earlier attack. Despite how quickly she can dodge, her defense doesn't seem to be all that great and I wonder how much combat she's even seen. As our own attacks grow more precise, it's like I can feel her earlier bravado fading. Her certainty in the fight is wavering.

A pained grunt leaves the Snow Land Pokemon as the attack knocks her back into a wall. Dusknoir wastes no time in charging past us as his fists are encompassed by a dark, translucent aura that transforms into a powerful Shadow Punch. He catches her in the stomach with the move, her form recoiling where she's trapped, braced between him and the wall. At that unescapable range, she makes an attempt to freeze Dusknoir with her breath only for the other Ghost-type to use Will-O-Wisp once more to counter it. The vibrant flames crawl up her arms and she releases a shriek as she's afflicted by the inevitable burns. With a hand fixed over my heart as I wait for the pain in my lungs to finally ebb away, I get a sudden vision from watching the two:

 _In an instant I'm transported to some other time and place far from here, some place darker and—in a sense—colder. The light blue atmosphere is replaced by a dark grey one, and the space surrounding us has shrunk, closing us off by a series of iron bars at the back of us. Froslass is gone and in her place is an older version of Ri as a Lucario, the fires from Dusknoir's Will-O-Wisp scaling up his form instead as his writhes in agony from the torment. I can't move. I can't scream. The dark future! The Stockades! Why am I—?!_

I shake my head, biting my lower lip to prevent it from trembling. No, this isn't the dark future: That world will never come. We stopped it from happening, Ri and I. Ri's safe with me and, as strange as it is, Dusknoir is on our side. It's only a vision of what might have been and nothing more. It's nothing…

"Lira…" Ri whispers. I turn to find him staring at me worriedly and offer him a reassuring grin in turn. All it takes is seeing that he's alright to relieve me of my fears.

"That's enough, Dusknoir," I say in a firm tone, walking up to the Gripper Pokemon and placing my hand on his upper arm. I'm not afraid of getting burned and the flames that would've eaten away at me cease as I touch him—subduing the Ice-type's pains as well in the process. His eye widens in surprise as he looks at me, but beyond halting the flames he does nothing. "She's had enough." I blink up at him, my expression kept neutral. "There's no point in taking this battle any further."

Froslass manages to wriggle out of Dusknoir's hold and with a panicked cry scrambles away from us before disappearing into thin air. In the seconds it takes for this to happen, Ri and I watch on and I maintain my grip on Dusknoir—whose gaze flickers observingly between me and the fleeing Pokemon before she finally leaves. The tension in his shoulders evaporates, but he speaks to me in a scolding manner, "You shouldn't have let her escape. There's a fair chance she'll only come back."

I don't know whether or not he would've put Froslass through the same anguish he made other Pokemon suffer as Primal Dialga's agent, but I don't think I could've had it in me _not_ to step in. I'm worried too that she might try to freeze other travelers, but at least we'll make it off of this island and can warn others who might come here after us. Under normal circumstances, we might have captured her and had the local authorities deal with her. But as far as we know, there aren't even any to speak of and who knew whether or not they'd speak our language if they even exist. It was for the best just to scare her off and hope that she would think twice before trying anything like this again.

"If that happens, we'll be ready for her," I retort, my eyes turning over to frozen Bug-type. "In the meantime, we've got other problems. How are we going to get Scizor out of there?" True, Ri already broke a part of the ice away from him, but I can't help but worry.

A moment of awkward silence passes as Dusknoir places a large hand atop my head and flattens down my hair with a slight pat. I flinch in reaction, unexpected by and unused to the contact. He seems to be studying me as the moment passes, but as usual I can't read what's going on in that head of his.

"I have a plan," he answers, taking his hand away from me. My brows furrow with confusion as it suddenly becomes encased within a layer of ice as he draws it into a fist—if he's used this move before, I can't easily remember it. He steps closer to Scizor and continues, "I'll handle the bulk of the ice, but it will be up to you, Ri, to deal with the more precise cuts using your aura in order to free him."

"And what about me?" I press, placing a hand on my hip. If there's something I can do, I'm not going to sit idly by while they do all the work.

"Your job will be to keep him alive as we get him out of there." Seeing me balk at this, he explains further. "Ri might be the better healer of you both, but I believe your abilities as a Guardian of Light may resonate somewhat stronger." Turning away, he adds in a quiet murmur, "Not to mention I have doubts that delicate procedures are your strong suit… Just maintain your focus and it should be fine."

Easier said than done, but he gives no room to contradict him as he drives his fist into the block of ice with a loud shatter. Ri races forward, a bone staff appearing in his grip as he moves to help the Ghost-type. I linger back, mentally fumbling as I try to figure out what exactly I'm supposed to do and how I'm supposed to do it. What happened at Sky Peak with Azalea was just an accident: I don't know how Ri and I managed to help her—much less how to repeat what we did! But the thought of anyone dying if I don't do _something_ pulls an anxious sigh past my lips and beckons me to try in the very least.

I can only start with what I know. I reach out through my aura for any sign of life in the otherwise blank and unmoving Scizor. Closing my eyes, the noise of the ice breaking fading away, I find it: A subtle heartbeat only barely registering, just enough of a pulse to allow his blood to continue circulating through his veins and keep him alive.

It's strange, but… It feels so warm. Reaching out with my senses, it's almost like I'm cradling the warmth of a star. It flickers lazily in my mind's eye, and a desire to protect that dying radiance overwhelms me. I feel a growing warmth emanate from my chest that seems to stretch and surround the other, circling around it before sharing its own heat. A body of energy offering another a spark: A life force gripping onto another life force: A light sharing light to prevent another from being swallowed by darkness. I don't know if what I'm seeing is any of these or something else entirely, but it's an amazing sight.

The pulse I sensed begins to quicken to a healthier pace, and I feel the warmth of life begin to surge once more throughout Scizor's body. He stirs from his long paralysis, and I snap back to reality just in time to witness the last of the ice give way around him. As he collapses with the first huff of air he's probably had in years, Ri kneels by his shivering side and immediately begins to tend to whatever injuries the other might have.

I smile, but it isn't long before I realize how much of a toll keeping the veteran explorer stable took on me. I feel drained and a cold sweat has managed its way along my back and forehead—not that I let the others know as I wipe it away with the fabric of my cloak. Well, at least I didn't pass out this time, so maybe I'll get used to it like I've had to with my other powers.

Scizor's voice is weak and hoarse when he attempts to speak, and he blinks his eyes as if he's having some trouble trying to see. Keeping one hand to the ground for balance and raising another to his head, he begins, "Wh-where…?"

"You're safe now, Scizor," Ri informs him gently, his hands and eyes radiating a vivid blue as he tries to restore the him to health. "Just try to relax."

The Bug-type's wings slowly flutter in order to stretch the muscles in them, and bits of frost are knocked away in the process. He shakes his head wearily, "Ah, yes… I recall now. I was exploring when I was set upon by that beastly Froslass…" He strains his sights on Ri, and I imagine he's trying to bring his face into focus. Hopefully, once he's up and moving for a bit, he'll recover more of his senses. "Forgive me for my lapse in etiquette… You're rescuing me, I presume?"

"Well, we haven't got you off of this floating rock yet, but it's a work in-progress," I smirk. His bleary gaze rises in my general direction, but I don't really know if he actually sees me or if I'm just a blur in is vision.

"It would be best if we didn't stick around," Dusknoir reminds us. "It should already be dark by now, so let's get out of these caves and find somewhere else to make camp until dawn. We can return to Lapras at daybreak." It's as good a plan as any. Once Scizor is able to stand and Ri's finished looking him over, Dusknoir helps him walk and we cautiously make our way back out of the caves from the way we entered.

* * *

It's a good thing we packed plenty of food, because I don't think I've ever seen anyone eat as much as Scizor does that night. But then, if I was trapped in a block of ice for as long as he was I'd probably wake up ravenous too so long as my stomach hadn't shrunk. He had three hearty helpings of Ri's cooking before he settled down to get some rest—telling stories all the while after he had gotten his voice back. It was nice getting to watch the exchange between him and Ri, veteran and fanboy. For all of our own adventures, it's great to see that my partner's eyes can still light up with excitement like that. As for me, well, I had something of my own to awe over.

The aurora over Blizzard Island is gorgeous, twisting in a multitude of blues and greens within the starry night sky. The air shimmers as the colors dance above, like paints running across a navy canvas. They seem so corporeal that it's like I could almost touch them if they weren't so high up. The best way I can describe them is as nature's fireworks, but they're even more beautiful than that—not a flash of sparks, but currents of light.

Ri was right about me: I really do love things that shine at night. I get a hypnotic, euphoric feeling from watching them. Maybe it's because of the world of darkness I once lived in that I'm like this: Fire, aura, energy, electricity, such things were all we had to ignite the gloom of our homes, all temporary satisfactions that could only offer so much before burning out and leaving us in the dark again. You learn to cherish those lights that save you from the omnipresent shadows. As for sunlight… Maybe its best moments are at cusp of dusk and the break of dawn.

The others have already gone to sleep in the safety of the nook we made camp in—set in the rocks not far from the caves we left behind, but even with the biting cold I just want to stay up a little longer. I want to watch the aurora for just a little longer, and then I'll sleep. After all, who knows if we'll ever come back here?

But I wish I had my Styler with me. If we could just find a way to talk to the Pokemon who live here, then maybe there would be a way to organize some sort of peace between the islanders and the Pokemon back in the Grass continent. Friendship, trade, discovery—none of that is possible between us if something isn't done. I still can't think of how Froslass picked up our language unless she wasn't born here to begin with, but I don't think we could recruit her as a translator anyway. Maybe once my Styler's fixed we can come back and try to sort things out.

Hearing the crunch of snow behind me, I look back—expecting it to be Ri and Dusknoir telling me to come inside our camp and out of the cold.

What I don't expect is the sudden force ramming into my temple and my vision going white as I collapse to the ground. There isn't even time to scream and it all happens so fast that I don't even see my attacker.

My vision is white for only a second, green and blue for the next as I catch one last glimpse at the aurora, then black as someone or something drags me away by my wrist through the snow and I slip into unconsciousness.


	17. Chapter 17: Seized

My head won't stop throbbing. That's the first and only thing I can think of when I wake up with a soft groan—my eyes still kept closed. Any slight movement sends a bolt of pain coursing through my skull, and so I remain as still as I can be. That is, before the memory of my capture returns in a swift flood of thought; then I'm doing everything I can in a blind attempt at escape. I don't realize that my wrists are bound until I feel the twine tied around them cut into my flesh by the motion. Whoever has a hold of me jolts me in their grasp and I hiss, the feeling akin a knife piercing through my head almost overwhelming.

A deep throated chuckle follows and I hear some conversation pass in the language of the islanders. For a moment I wonder if they work for Froslass—many she did come after us again after all to get revenge—but when I reach out through my aura I can't sense her own life energy among them. I count at least… five or six different signatures. They're large and powerful Pokemon, much bigger than I am, and the jumbo of the bunch is the one that's carrying me across his shoulder. Reaching out through aura, I also get a sense of foreboding that makes my heart catch in my throat. I don't know why they captured me or what they plan on doing with me, but it's clear enough that it's nothing good.

For just how long have I been unconscious? Does Ri and Dusknoir even know that I'm gone? If they do, then how far away are we from the camp? All of these questions course through my mind at once. Intensifying my aura signature, I try to at least call for help but to be honest I have no idea if I'd even still be close enough for Ri to sense it. The way things look right now though, relying on that might be my only option.

I force my eyes open wearily and it's much to my relief that at least it's still nightfall, meaning that maybe not as much time has passed as I originally thought. I finally get a good look at my captors as well: Two Vigoroth, an Empoleon, a Glalie, and—the mug carrying me—a Beartic. I know I didn't get hit with an Ice or Water-type attack, so I imagine it was one of the Vigoroth that snuck up behind me and knocked me out. Neither of them seem like the sort that would show restraint anyway, and the way my aching head continues to throb I wouldn't be surprised if they had used an overpowering Focus Punch on me.

Seeing that I'm awake, one of the pair shoots me a glance and then a cruel smile. I return it with a grimace, but say nothing. Any attempt to plead or threaten would be pointless—and with this bunch I don't think it would matter even if they could understand me. We were able to chase off a good number of the Pokemon that attacked us on the way inland, but they don't strike me as the sort to be scared off easily. Not to mention they ganged up on me five to one, and I know for a fact that I'm not _that_ intimidating.

The Beartic jerks me in his grasp with careless abandon as the group slides down an icy hilltop. As I feel my brain rattle in my skull from the bumpy, uncomfortable ride, I can't resist returning the favor by driving my elbow into the back of his own head. "I'm not a sack of potatoes, you know!" I bark down at him, my ears pinned back. A low growl resounds from his throat in warning, and I wince as I feel his claws imbed within my skin as his grip constricts even tighter around my waist.

As the others laugh at the violent exchange, the Empoleon—who I can only now dub as the leader—orders something to the giant Pokemon and the hold around my waist slackens enough for the pain for subside. Ok, so that confirms that they want to keep me in one piece. For now, at least. Why though?

Finishing our descent, the scenery drastically changes from the rocky cliffs to tall, natural fixtures of ice. They reach over us like trees, but really they look more like stalagmites or… Icicles…

 _Oh Arceus…_ I feel myself grow pale from fright, watching as one of the fixtures seems to buzz with an electric violet energy at its crown. This is the Icicle Forest that Grovyle talked about. The lingering feeling of dread that's hung over me… They can't actually be willing to…

Reason flies out the window with the realization of how truly in danger I am. And what's worse is that I can't even think of any way that they could hate a person—a total stranger—so much as to drag them here. As much as I can't stand using the ability, I do the only thing I can think of to escape and place my paws spread flat upon the Beartic's shoulder.

I don't even know how much of his aura I absorb, but I stop the minute he teeters weakly from the drain of his life energy and brace myself for the sudden collapse in the snow. With part of my own aura reserves restored after this—combined with the shock and confusion of his allies—I'm able to make a mad dash away before any of the remaining four can snatch me back up. I fumble in my bonds, but I manage to stay on my feet as I race back the way I came and weave through the icicle fixtures. When I reach the base of the hill, the snow sinks beneath me and it's a struggle to climb.

But I don't even make it very far before a blue, black, and white shape whizzes in front on my line of vision and strikes me with enough force to send me tumbling down again. One of the Vigoroth is already waiting for me, but I thrust my hands outward a second time the moment he grabs hold of me—repelling the brute with Force Palm. Once more I'm up and on the run.

And seconds later I'm down again thanks to the same, exact thing as before. Agility! That Empoleon has to be using Agility in order to best a Riolu's speed. Every attempt to escape is thwarted by a blur of motion and a swift blow until they eventually tire me down enough for the Glalie to use his mastery of the environment to change to the snow beneath me to ice and freeze my feet solid. As the ice imprisons my feet, the rest of my body is flung to ground and I give out a stunned yelp. And despite how I fight to get up—or in the very least drag myself away—the icy blocks pinning me down are like lead weights.

Just not for the Glalie. When he hovers over my struggling form, he pulls me up by one block of the levitating ice and leaves me to dangle in the air. The other piece being pulled back down by gravity, the muscles in my legs cry out from the strain. I can only make one, final effort of defiance as my blood slowly rushes to my head—swinging my free leg around in an attempt to kick at the Ice-type—only for it to end in tremendous failure as I twist limply in place.

How am I going to make it out of this one? I have no clue as to how I even got myself into this mess to begin with! _This would be a really great time for a rescue right about now, guys!_ I want to scream at my distant companions. Come on… Where are they?!

A trio of golden claws grips me harshly by the chin and I'm spun back around in mid-air to meet the Empoleon at eye level. His grin is one of amusement, as if this is all just a childish game, but his eyes aren't laughing. Instead there's a bleak possession to them, and I almost shiver from how similar it is to looking at the lifeless gaze of a doll.

 _Is that how I'm going to look when they're done with me_? I wonder with horror. There's only one place within the Icicle Forest that I know exists, and that is the clearing with the four pillars that Grovyle had talked about. Despite the darkness I sense in them, they at least have their souls: If that's where they're taking me—as I fear they are—then all that will remain of me really will be just an empty husk.

But why are they doing this? _Guys… Where are you?!_

Partially reviving the fallen Beartic with a berry, the others get him back up on his feet to start moving again. Rather than worry, I continue to try to send pulse after pulse of aura waves to act as a homing beacon for Ri. But much to my dismay the journey is left uninterrupted until my fears prove to be all too real by the sight of the clearing growing nearer. Even having never been here before or seen it through the Dimensional Scream, the way the electric sparks volt wildly above us from pillar to pillar makes the place all too recognizable.

If I were any less than the stubborn soldier that I am, I might've resorted to begging despite the language barrier and the lack of sympathy my captures appear to possess. Mingling feelings of pride and terror, however, forbid me from doing anything except stare toward my grim fate.

I was told what would happen, what it felt like, but nevertheless I'm unprepared to experience the pain and apprehension firsthand. Like a discarded toy, the Glalie tosses me into the center of the clearing and no sooner do I land do the sparks of energy target me. In an instant, I'm swarmed by the pale light and an agonizing paralysis takes hold of me. I can't contain the scream that leaves me as my muscles contract and a sensation almost akin to being burnt alive ripples over my body. Left frozen and tingling amid the torment, I try to clamp my teeth together and instead feel them chatter madly as my nerves are attacked.

 _Help!_ Ri, Dusknoir, someone—anyone—please don't let me die like this! It can't end like this! I growl, digging my fingers into the snow as if gripping onto something will in turn keep my spirit from leaving my body. It hurts though: Arceus, it hurts so much! I can only say that is through sheer determination alone that I can even stay conscious!

Move! I need to move—why can't I move?! It's not merely the ice blocks weighing be down anymore: It's like I don't even have control over my own body. Another scream escapes me as a bolt of energy splits through my abdomen like the blade of a sword, and this time there's nothing I can do to contain it.

Arceus, no, I… I don't want to die. I can't die! Ri and the others still need me! Their faces flash within my mind, but all the same a dull ringing in my ears overpowers my own cries and I know I can't stand this for much longer. My vision is failing as well, and it's like any minute now I'll crumble into pieces.

Everything gets brighter before slipping into darkness.

 _Ri, I… I'm sorry… And Grovyle too… I should've been more careful…_

A new pain overwhelms me as I'm struck with all the force of a battering ram by… something. I can't really tell what, because my entire self still tingles from the electric shocks, but the shocks themselves end so suddenly that I don't really know what to think. I can't move anyway, so I remain perfectly still and I say nothing. I can only focus of the dull ring that continues to persist.

I can tell when something scoops my limp form up and then it feels almost like I'm floating. A gentle touch caresses me, and then seems to take hold of me and pull me from the void before I can be swallowed whole. Slowly, the flat noise begins to fade and another, far more panicked, sound takes its place.

"… _please wake up!"_ the sound builds from a muffled echo. _"Lira! Lira, you have to wake up! I can't lose you—not again! You can't be gone!"_

Am I gone…? Is the very least this doesn't feel like when I disappeared and respawned in the future. I know that voice anymore, but I'm almost scared to look. Because if he's not really there…

"R-Ri…" I croak out painfully. If there's any answer to my call, I'll look. Only then will I risk it.

"Lira!" the voice screams back, much clearer than last time.

I open my eyes half-mast to gaze into those of my paramour—glistening with unshed tears—as he stares down at me where I lay held in his arms. Seeing me respond to his voice, a few droplets fall onto cheek and he hastens to pull me closer to his chest. My head rests upon his shoulder as he nearly rocks me in his embrace and I feel his heart flutter rapidly against my own.

"You're alive…" he voices in a hushed, shaky breath. "Thank Arceus, you're alive…" Hearing his voice, feeling his touch, knowing he came and pulled me from the darkness when I was so close to slipping away—to my very soul being melted… I can't take it. Joy, love, and relief flood over those previous emotions which only now am I able to express.

"Ri!" I bury my face into his fur as a choked sob strangles free from my abused vocal cords. I can't stop myself from crying and even with my hands still bound I lace my fingers into the fabric of his cloak in a clinging manner. In the dark future, the idea of death never bothered me on such a level. I could fight my way out of any situation and accept whatever happened to me in the end, but that was before I had something to live for. A reason to continue existing and cherish my own existence.

I was so scared: I really thought I was going to die!

Ri stays quiet as he continues to hold me, shifting position only to start untying the ropes around my hands. He tries to check on my wrists from where they rubbed them, but I envelope my arms around him before he can. He voices nothing against this, moving to rub my back in an effort to console me and rest his chin upon my shoulder.

It is then that I begin to notice several things. The first is that I'm trembling and can't seem to get myself to stop. I can't blame it on the cold alone either… The next is that Dusknoir and Scizor are also there, chasing off my captures in a maelstrom of fireballs, dark energy, and Bug-type attacks. It seems that whatever intention they had to kill me isn't worth this kind of fight, because they hardly put up one and are quick to flee—not even once attempting to hurt Ri or myself in the meantime. Ri cradles me some distance away from where I had been thrown in the center of the pillars, and the pillars themselves are back to just zapping each other with their soul-draining power.

After a while, once the other two have assured that we're finally alone and I've calmed down enough to talk sensibility, Dusknoir finishes his final glance around and approaches us with the other explorer. "Are you alright, Lira?" he questions, pausing a meter or so away from us.

I nod, sniffling. It was as close a call as it could get, but I'm still here. "How did you all get to me so quickly?" I ask. I turn to face Ri once more and continue, "I called out to you through my aura, but…"

"I woke up and saw you weren't there before I sensed it," he frowns in answer, his eyes still glimmering wetly. "We got as far as the edge of the forest before I just… couldn't feel your aura signature anymore. It just stopped. I don't know why it happened, but I was horrified until Dusknoir said he thought he knew where to go and led us here."

I snap my gaze back to the Ghost-type with a furrow brow, but he turns away from me—his eye back toward the direction in which the other Pokemon had fled.

"You should've seen him when we got here, Lira," Ri says reflectively, a small grin finally edging onto his face. "When I first saw what was happening I completely froze up, but Dusknoir swooped down and shielded the both of you with his Ice Punch when he knocked you away from the pillars."

Dusknoir saved me? It's not that I don't believe it, it's just… hard to imagine after everything we've been through. But I know Ri couldn't have pushed me aside so fiercely and Scizor's still recovering for him to be at full strength, so it would've had to have been him. With that in mind, I'm beginning to look at Grovyle's faith in him in a whole new light—now that I've witnessed this side of Dusknoir firsthand.

"Nevermind who did what," the Gripper Pokemon nearly spits in retort without looking at either of us. "Lira is safe now and that's all that matters. I'd never hear the end of it from that reptile otherwise.

"On the _other_ hand," and this time he looms over us, the gleam in his eye turning furious as he stares hard at me, "How naïve do you have to be to allow yourself to be snatched away like that in the first place?! It's like you never grow up!" My expression turns sheepish, but the berating ends as Dusknoir's gaze then lands on my still frozen feet. "But perhaps…" he then sighs, "You may have exhausted yourself after what happened in the caves and couldn't fight back as well as a result. In that regard, you're excused."

He makes a gesture at me while looking at Ri, and in response the latter stands up and holds me out to the Ghost-type. A small flame appears in his hands from Will-O-Wisp and he gets to work unthawing my feet from the ice blocks. Compared to when he uses it as a regular attack, the fire is no more the size than a candle's glow and has a gentle warmth. Not only that, but he's careful not to let the flame touch me as the ice melts away.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ri asks me, setting me down once I'm free from the ice. The way my legs try to give out from under me answers for me, and three hands—two taking me by the shoulders and a larger one pressing against my back—keep me steady. Every part of me still tingles, and my feet are numb from where they've been frozen so long. I'll probably have as much trouble moving for a little while as Scizor did when he awakened.

Before I can say anything, I'm scooped up by Dusknoir. It's easy for him to carry me, considering his size versus mine, and I rest nestled in just one of his arms. Despite me initial surprise, I pout in venom of my own embarrassment at this, "Well, now I look like a baby!"

"If you didn't act as foolish as one, these sorts of things wouldn't even happen," he retorts. "We'll need to move quickly and I'd rather get a few hours of sleep before dawn, so you'll just have to bear with it for now. You can snuggle next to your boyfriend all you want later."

Ri laughs at my plight before hearing this and becoming just as flustered as I am. If I'm completely honest with myself…No, I wouldn't have had any complaints to Ri carrying me with it being out of necessity anyway. But that wasn't even what I was thinking in the first place, so Dusknoir shouldn't have to bring it up! It's just that my pride's been wounded enough without being held like this to add icing on the cake!

Nevertheless, I have no choice but to give into being carried. We don't travel at all far from the pillars though when Dusknoir pauses to look back at them fixatedly. For once, I'm able to get an idea of what he's thinking: Such a thing shouldn't even exist. They serve no other purpose beyond hurting people. Still, I don't think even our combined abilities would be able to destroy them. Any attack we would make would likely be repelled by the electrical currents surging off the pillars. Seeming to read into this as well, he just sighs and continues the trek back to camp.

Now that I'm safe and all the adrenaline has run out of my system, exhaustion takes hold of me in its place. It isn't long before I release a barely suppressed yawn and find my eyes fluttering shut on their own accord. And so I allow myself to drift off—assured that I'll be fine if I just doze off for a minute and will wake up soon after.

"You're so trusting," I hear someone mutter before the world fades to black, "Though that would explain Grovyle's deplete in judgement… I wonder which of you was the worst influence on the other."


	18. Chapter 18: Secrets

Fortunately, there were no major after effects from what all I went through besides fatigue. And after such a long journey, that's only to be expected. We all made it home just fine and kept quiet about what happened in the Icicle Forest. None of us wanted to worry Grovyle or Celebi, and they didn't seem any wiser about it when we avoided the issue.

If only I was so lucky…

To say that I felt 'fatigued' would be putting it lightly: It seemed that the combined use of my aura and my near-death experience at the pillars had taken more of a toll on me than I thought. That and with the weather also knocking me for a loop, I ended up returning home with a fever and small cold. I might've been able to beg Ri to keep quiet about what happened—at least for a little while—but Dusknoir was an entirely different story. Instead, he told Grovyle and Celebi about my abduction no sooner had we gotten back. I can't imagine the scolding we would've gotten if I hadn't gotten sick, and as it was…

"There was absolutely no reason for you to have been out by yourself in dangerous territory! You know better than that!" Grovyle's fingers bite into my skin as he grips me tightly by my upper arms—knelt down to meet me at eye level as he lectures, "Having the power to see aura doesn't guarantee your safety, and there's no environment better suited for a Pokemon to do battle in than on their home turf."

"Yes, Grovyle…" I mumble, my ears flopped back in shame—partly from being spoken to like a child and partly because I know he's right. I could try coming up with any number of excuses, but I get the feeling that it'd only make things worse in the end…

"And as for you, Ri…" My partner visibly stiffens as the Grass-type turns his infuriated gaze over to him, "I've come to expect this much from Lira—as reckless as she is—but I know you're more level-headed than that! The both of you disobeyed a direct order! Do either of you have any idea of how much danger you put yourselves in just by going to that island?! You might be resilient fighters, but you're both still young and lack experience!"

"Yes, Grovyle…" the two of us say in near-perfect unison this time, Ri mimicking my grim expression.

My brother-figure's arms than shift around me and he pulls me to his chest in a firm hug. Maybe it's because of the fact that my aura abilities are getting stronger or maybe it's because I rarely sense such strong throws of emotion from him that makes it so distinct, but I feel his fear. Even though I'm safe and sound, he's scared of what could've happened to me. "I'm only recently getting used to how peaceful life has been for us—compared to all we went through during the Planet's Paralysis," he whispers, "I'd rather not run low on family."

I snort, returning the embrace with a sad grin as a wave of guilt passes over me. I guess it's second-nature for me to give him nothing but trouble. "I know, Grovyle. I'm sorry for worrying you." _Even if I can't promise that I won't do it again._ I don't trust myself enough to say something like that.

Celebi hovers about us, and seems to watch us observingly before turning to face Dusknoir and asking him, "So the Pokemon you faced just ran off? They didn't try to keep fighting you when you went to save Lira?"

"I assume that they thought that the odds stacked against them weren't worth the trouble," he shrugs in answer, "and it was such a close call that they might've even thought that she had already died." At this, I feel Grovyle's hold tighten around me.

"Let's just be happy that we're all safe now," says Scizor, approaching us after having looked over a bit of the town a few meters away from our reunion. He pats Ri on the head as if he were a young boy, but the latter doesn't actually seem to mind it and just grins. "And you'll want to see that these two kids get plenty of sleep after such a long trip."

I know we haven't evolved, but just how young do we look to him? "You can't exactly call us kids," I can't help but retort with a smirk. "We don't have a 'bed time.'"

"When you get to be my age, everyone starts looking like a child to you," he snorts with good-mirth. "Age isn't really the important part anyway. You're sick, so you'll definitely need plenty of bed rest." Then, as if my body agreed with me, I sneezed before having the chance to answer.

Putting a hand over his heart, he dips his head in a bow to us. "I am sincerely grateful for your coming to my rescue. If you hadn't come along, I very well could have remained encased in ice forever." He's already thanked us once, so I don't really see the point in him thanking us again now until I catch him eying Grovyle briefly. I give an appreciative smile in turn: He's trying to soften the blow for us for whatever punishment Grovyle could think to give us for sneaking off like we did. Maybe he's more so my brother than my dad, and he shouldn't hold any true authority over Ri, but he can certainly lay down the law like a father when he needs to…

A sad gleam that flits through the Bug-type's gaze, "However, little did I expect to see that decades have passed since my icebound predicament. Why, it's as if I've travelled to an entirely different world." As he says this, he's eyes fall over Treasure Town once more. A twinge of empathy strikes within me as I wonder if maybe he'd been here sometime, maybe years ago—maybe even had friends here—and now either they're exceptionally old or dead. Maybe he even had children at some point and now they'd already have children or perhaps a generation more than that themselves.

I look to Celebi for only a second, considering if I could ask her a favor for his sake. However, seeing that Scizor hasn't done so himself already makes me pause. It's possible that Celebi could take him back to the moment right after he was kidnapped by Froslass—she could use a Passage of Time if she wished—but I know deep down that this is something that shouldn't be altered. This isn't as grave a matter as correcting an already broken timeline like we were trying to do when Grovyle and I came to the past. This is the course of nature, as it should be. Unless some disaster falls upon the world again, it would be wrong to try and change the flow of it.

"Incidentally, I would like to somehow repay you for saving my life," he shakes off any despair of his like a champion, instead turning sheepish as he scratches the back of his head in thought. "However, I find myself alone in an alien world and without a single coin to my name. I have no idea how I could possibly repay you."

"Oh, it's ok," Ri reassures him, waving the matter aside as I nod in agreement. "You don't need to thank us anymore." Some Pokemon might've gone to Blizzard Island for the prestige and treasure they assumed they could get from finding him, but that's not us. We really couldn't care if it means we've helped someone in the end.

Yet Scizor keeps to himself in thought for a moment before his smile returns. "Yes! That may do!" he muses aloud before turning to our group a second time. "Tell me, you did say you were an exploration team, yes?"

"Uh… Yes?" Given that I'm usually considered the unofficial leader of our odd band of Pokemon, Grovyle lets go of me so that I can step closer to Scizor as we talk.

"Ah, very well!" he beams. "You see, though you may find it unlikely, I was—once upon a time—an explorer of some repute." Of course we've heard it, but I don't bother to correct him. "Well, I'll have you know that I'm an honorary member of the Pokemon Exploration Team Federation."

He seems to take such pride in it that I do all I can to force down an otherwise raised brow. Maybe the Federation was different years ago than it is now, but you're only really an official team within the Grass Continent if you've registered with them. They've got enough of a reputation that even someone like me knows that much. The various guilds are essentially branches of the Federation, and the Pokemon who run it are mostly retirees who oversee them. There is even a rumor that Wigglytuff's former master might've been among them. But like I said, they're overseers: They make sure that the guilds keep in line and that assignments are divested to exploration teams according to a team's skill and rank. That being said, I've never heard of them taking 'honorary members.'

Ri seems to voice these thoughts aloud as he echoes the Bug-type questioningly. Seems like he doesn't know anything more than I do about this.

"An honorary member, such as myself, has the right to give special status to exemplary exploration teams," Scizor explains, "And you fit the bill! Your plucky courage during my rescue proves that you are more than exemplary!" He moves to clasp both Ri and I on the shoulder after eying the others briefly. "So I confer upon you the Secret Rank."

"Wha? Secret Rank?" Ri asks, his voice caught between interest and doubt. I myself can't help but feel the same dubiousness I felt when Wigglytuff tried to trick us into thinking there was a 'Grandmaster of All Things Bad.' We're Gold Rank—and that's pretty high up considering that Team Crusade has only existed for about a year, not to mention that we're close to moving a step up—but we're still far from the highest ranked team by the Federation's standards. You move up rank according to the number of successful missions you've completed and their level of difficulty. After Gold Rank, there's still nine other rankings an exploration team can reach before being at the pinnacle of the Federation: Diamond, Super, Ultra, Hyper, four Masters, and Guildmaster Rank. If you take an apprenticeship, like Ri and I did, your team is bound to move up the first few ranks quickly and have easier access to assignments in order to increase your rank. Master Rank teams can take on apprentices, but usually only one or two at a time. Once you reach Guildmaster Rank though, the Federation identifies your team as capable of running a Guild or similar faction.

We've never heard anyone mention a Secret Rank though. Granted, that's probably the idea, but it's even harder to see an 'honorary member' capable of giving it to anyone without the Federation's authority. I cast a brief, sidelong glance over at Dusknoir only for him to shake his head at me in turn. Great, so not even our team's master of intelligence doesn't have a clue about this.

"An exploration team with that rank is eligible to take special missions—highly confidential jobs that come straight from the Exploration Team Federation itself," Scizor continues.

Ri crosses his arms over his chest, staring at the ground at his feet in thought, "Highly confidential? I don't get it…"

Honestly, the more that's said about this just makes it seem like the veteran explorer is trying to force added worth for our rescue mission. "Why would the Federation even have a secret division?" I muse. We might help the police from time to time and it's commonly taken as our duty to protect other Pokemon, but all the same we're not an organized law enforcement for the continent. We don't live off of a government's payroll and we can take and dismiss jobs as they suit us. In other words, we're more like mercenaries by definition and vigilantes by honor, and we're not all that complicated an order.

"You may not know it now, but it will become clear in due time," he chuckles at the both of us. He begins to fiddle through the pouch that had been trapped with him when he was frozen as he adds, "I'll need to make a note of your new rank on your Explorer Badges."

Ri and I always keep ours with us in our Treasure Bag, so I readily am able to fish them free of where they've been tucked inside. In accordance with our rank, the gemstones locked within our badges are of an aureolin hue rather than the fuchsia one that new teams would carry on them. If we do move up soon, we'll have to send them to the Federation to have the stones exchanged for the sapphire-like ones of the Diamond Rank. I only hesitate for a second before passing them off to Scizor, who inspects them briefly before revealing the star charms in his hands and attaching one to each of ours by the notches on the tops of them. Then he gives me four other charms for each of our teammates' badges—including Azalea, even though she won't have much use for it yet.

Ri still seems reluctant as his badge is returned to him, weaving the charm between his fingers. He keeps silent for a moment longer before saying, "I don't know what this is about, but… thank you." He's as polite as always, but I get why he's also a little cautionate. If this secret division actually exits than we're entering it blindly, and whatever honor it might be it's sure to have its share of responsibilities as well. Cupping my own charm I think, _Well, it's not like we can easily back out of this now_. I guess that if it really is something that important in the Federation, than we're sure to hear about it from the higher-ups sooner or later anyway.

"Ah, it's the least I could do." Whether or not he notices our misgivings, at least he seems happy that he was able to offer something in return for our help. "I shall never forget your valor and kindness in coming to my rescue!"

We try to convince him to stay at the Guild for a while—just until he can find his place in the world again—but he brushes aside the offer, saying that he has to go. I assume he means to find whatever family and friends he might have left, and of all the things he's told us that's one matter that I can understand pretty well. I guess finding himself again in this new world is just a journey he wants to walk alone for now.

No sooner has Scizor left do the others follow his suggestion in sending me to bed. Celebi flutters off to see if Chansey has any natural remedies for my cold while the guys shoo me away—up the steps to the Guild compound and off to mine and Ri's room.

Ri leans in as we walk to try to give me a peck on the cheek, but I hold my hand to his chest before he can close in and give him a mischievous smirk. "Nuh-uh. I'm sick, remember? If it's so bad that you all have to treat me like a child over it, than I guess I can't risk getting you sick as well."

He pouts in turn, giving me an unamused stare, before settling for a quick nuzzle. "If you promise to try to get some sleep, I can make some tea to help you feel better."

"Since when do you make tea?" I snort. Ri's always been a good cook, but this is the first time I've heard of him brewing anything. That and I don't think he's actually that big of a fan of tea anyway.

"Dusknoir's been teaching me," he replies with some embarrassment. "It's… a little more complicated than I thought at first, but at least I can brew more than just brown water now."

No, he takes quickly to new recipes and things like that. It wouldn't surprise me if Ri's actually been using that as an outlet to try to bond with the Ghost-type. To get him to socialize with some of us and learn to trust him again in the meantime… I fiddle with the badge still cupped in my hand. _Maybe I should try to put more of an effort into that too_. I don't know if things will ever be easy to patch over, but I can try. I _should_ try. I owe Dusknoir that much and he's supposed to be a part of our family.

"Does chamomile sound ok?" Ri offers. After giving him a small nod, he squeezes my other hand before jogging in the direction of the mess hall.

At first I don't pay any mind to it when I'm left alone to finish the short trek toward our room. Dusknoir's quarters are farther back down the hall and Grovyle doesn't stay in the compound much anyway. I wouldn't have noticed it at all if my sensitive hearing hadn't picked up on what I thought was someone calling for me. Except no one else is in the passage: It's just me, and then Grovyle and Dusknoir standing next to one another a short distance away. I watch on from afar as Dusknoir motions Grovyle inside his room, but it's only when he shuts the door behind them that I get the feeling something's up. My curiosity getting the better of me, I head back the way I came to try to listen in on whatever is being said—pressing my ear to the wooden door and keeping perfectly still.

"…wasn't simply a matter of guarding their territory," I hear Dusknoir say. "Maybe you've gotten soft, but I recognize malice when I see it and I can assure you that they took Lira with malicious intent. They had the same look to them that we both saw a hundred times over in the dark future."

"I'm not denying that it wasn't intentional," Grovyle retorts in a calm tone. "You were there, so you'd know what happened better than I would anyway. What I can't understand is _why_ they would specifically target Lira as you claim they did. It's just as possible that they didn't know about the camp and thought she was there alone."

"Maybe, but this seemed too perfect a scenario: I should know, I've painted enough of them myself. Lira may be reckless, but even to her dying breath she isn't weak. They were the perfect band of assailants who attacked her at the perfect moment." He pauses. "I don't think, under normal circumstances, that they would've done what they did. Killing her right then and there would've been one thing, but taking her all the way to the pillars… That method was too… personal…"

"…Dusknoir?" Grovyle presses as the other gets lost in his own thoughts.

"No, none of us can be certain of anything…" he finally sighs. "I could be wrong, but it seemed more like they had been _ordered_ to kill her beforehand—like there is someone else behind this. Maybe they were assassins or maybe they were told that Lira was some sort of harbinger of doom, but I can't shake that feeling."

I can't listen to this anymore. Quickly and quietly, I move away from the door and race back in the direction of mine and Ri's room. And once I'm inside, I throw the Treasure Bag aside and pull a blanket around my curled-up form on the bed. _Too personal_. No matter how often I run their dialogue through my mind there's no way I could confuse those words with anything else. Dusknoir probably didn't want to tell me and Ri about this because of how we'd take it. Well, I can't take it well! Because of someone's after me like they were back in my own time—if Pitch Black…

I shake my head vigorously, drawing around myself further. No, he's not from this time. He can't get me and it's unlikely he'd know who I was even if he was old enough to belong to the past. Neither I nor anyone I know has experienced any serious nightmares either, so it can't be him. _It can't be him…_

What would I even do if it was him? I could hardly land a hit on him the one, brief and confusing time I did meet him face-to-face and he doesn't fight fair. If it were just me I think I'd stand a better chance at handling this, but if he hurts or tries to manipulate anyone I know—then there'll be trouble. I take a deep breath. Though my nerves are shot from the distressing news, I can't let it show. Dusknoir also said that there's a chance he could be wrong, so I can't let myself get worked up over nothing. I have to keep a clear head and try not to worry anyone.

I really hope he's wrong…


	19. Chapter 19: Travel Plans

_SRs, please standby._

Those words were the only ones that had been written on the letter sent to us from the Federation besides—besides a brief congratulation for our going up a rank and a reminder to 'keep up the good work' anyway. It was the only thing that stood out from the usual message, and I'm more than certain—as unbelievable as the whole affair is—that the acronym stands for Secret Rank. What we're supposed to 'standby' for though is beyond me, unless they mean they don't have any missions to send us yet. That's fine: There are plenty of jobs available to us as it is. I just wish we had more information about being Secret Rank members.

Of course it's not the only thing that's been on my mind over the course of the past two weeks. I haven't been able to get what Dusknoir said out of my head; that someone might be after me personally. And of course only one, certain someone has come to mind. When I was restored to my own time, after Temporal Tower and before coming to the past again, that creature hunted me down nonstop. Even without using the Lunar Wing I've kept with me I haven't been having any nightmares and I've been able to brush any other signs of his presence away as a mere coincidence.

Why in the world would I think he was capable of following me into the past? And I know for a fact that I've never met him in this time. I mean, chances are low that it really is him after me but who else would it be? I can't think of anyone else who would hate me enough to try and do me in…

I… haven't told anyone else about this. When I came back from the future with the others, I stopped thinking that it mattered because I was so sure that we were all safe. _Clearly not as much as I figured._ But neither Grovyle nor Dusknoir have tried talking to me or Ri about it either, even though it's obvious they've told Celebi because she's been more attentive lately. They don't want to scare us without having anything solid to go by: I know that. So then I hope that they can forgive me for keeping quiet too when I don't have any proof to base my own fears on.

"Lira, if you don't eat your rice ball instead of staring at it, it looks like Loudred's just about decided to eat it for you." I blink up at my partner as he says this before turning my eyes toward the Normal-type sitting nearby us. However, Loudred averts my gaze by turning in his seat as he continues eating his own meal.

"There's no point in wasting good food," he grumbles. "She's barely touched a thing yet." Well, he's not wrong about that. I guess I haven't paid attention to how much time has passed since we came to grab lunch in the mess hall.

Normally we're not even around the Guild at this time because we're on missions, but today Wigglytuff allowed some of the kids from one of the nearby schools to have a tour of the compound. He asked all of us on Team Crusade to stay in for the day to help out. Actually, I think Chatot might've pushed it out of a bit of revenge for the extra work we'd unwittingly given him… Back in the winter when I offered Marill and Azurill to be junior explorers—it turns out that they took it a bit more seriously than I had meant for them to. Now there was an entire club of 'junior explorers' running around Treasure Town. Some of the parents were worried, but the Guildmaster had leapt on the idea. Now the kids can go on local excursions around town and the nearby areas with the guidance of a few explorers registered with the Guild to teach them.

We showed them the Guildmaster's Chambers, the mission boards, the sentry station, and the Guild quarters: Now we were having something to eat before showing them the training yards and conducting a battle. Celebi's popular with the kids, and Grovyle's able to keep them in line. Dusknoir's been met with mixed feelings, but also and onslaught of questions. Azalea, being an apprentice and still more of a kid herself, fits right in with the bunch.

Then there's me and Ri. I don't know how he does it, but he's amazing with the kids—then again, he's always been the more patient one of us both. I haven't had enough experience to know if I'm any good, but they seem to like me alright. They ask me just about as many questions as they do Dusknoir, though they're mostly about what it was like when I was a human. I don't really know how I'm doing…

"Are you feeling ok, Lira?" Marill asks from where he and his brother sit across from us. "Are you still sick?"

"I'm fine," I reassure them with a smile and a wave of my hand, taking a hearty bite out of my rice ball for good measure.

While this manages to work on the others, I guessed I should be used to the fact that I can't trick my partner so easily by now. He shimmies closer, just enough so to whisper in my ear, "You know you can tell me what's wrong, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I quip, reaching for a Pecha berry from a nearby bowl. There's no point in keeping up the façade, but I really can't tell him. Not for now, at least: Maybe when things have calmed down a bit, or if I find anything that confirms or denies my suspicions, but not now. If I told him, he'd make more of a fuss of it than we can afford.

"Lira…" One of his ears pins back and he says my name as a parent might to a misbehaving child. Rather than answer him, however, I keep eating. He just sighs as the moment passes on in silence, "You never learn, do you?"

"No, but you love me anyway."

A sudden, high-pitched cry cuts through the uproar within the mess hall, startling us both. Sunflora charges in, directly toward us, with a rolled-up sheet of parchment in hand. "Team Crusade!" she shouts just before skidding to a halt. The platters resting on the side of the table are shoved away with one swipe of her hand as she wriggles in-between us and flattens out the paper along its surface in their place. "You'll never believe the news that just came in! Have you two ever heard of the Surrounded Sea?"

Having moved back to make room for her, I raise a brow over at Ri who just shakes his head with a look of bewilderment. "I don't think either of us have, Sunflora. What's this about?"

"It's an uncharted part of the ocean to the south. And can you imagine? It's been encased in ice for over tens of thousands of years." Her smile is brighter than usual as she talks. I can imagine with it being an uncharted territory that it would rile any explorers; however, it's still the ocean. There aren't very many Pokemon who'd fit the bill for exploring it—Sunflora herself included.

"Nuh-huh. I've had enough of frozen wastelands for a little while, thank you." I fold my arms across my chest stubbornly. "Go point out a tropical island you want us to explore though and I'll start packing." And again, with it being somewhere in the middle of the ocean rather than on solid ground, I'd also rather not take the risk of freezing to death in below 0-degree waters.

Grovyle, Celebi, Azalea, and Dusknoir sit a little farther away from us within their own clusters of kids. Listening in on us, my brother-figure nods in agreement with me and adds, "I prefer keeping warm over playing in the snow myself. You two just got back from Blizzard Island not all that long ago: It's best if you take it easy for a little while."

"But word is spreading about a recent discovery there!" the Sun-Pokemon retorts, "They say that there's now a break in the ice and that the gap opened a way for explorers to go into that enclosed area!" She motions for us to look at the paper she's brought with her: A map by the looks of it and an old one at that from the musky smell of it. It has a good amount of detail of the ocean and nearby islands, but is clearly outdated from its lacking depictions of the mainland. Just how long has that thing been in storage?

"Oh my gosh! Can you imagine it?" she continues, "A world that no one has ever seen for tens of thousands of years! This is the stuff of sweeping epics—so dreamy and adventurous! Oh, but that's not all! No, no, no!" She drew her leave-hand along the path of one of a series of faded lines. "Apparently, the world's ocean currents all course through the Surrounded Sea. I've heard rumors that many rare treasures are carried there by the currents!"

And of course Ri's taking in all of this like a sponge, his eyes twinkling with that common glee and awe of his adventurous nature. I'm as up for adventure as ever myself, but I don't fancy turning into a Poke-cicle or going for a long swim. Knowing Sunflora's independent, can-do attitude, I'm more surprised that she hasn't gone away with this information to go and explore the area herself. Except she can't since—type advantage or no—she's still just a Grass-type with no gills.

But it's not like we can grow them either. A part of me wonders if she wants us to go just for the sake of mapping out the different currents and routes for our newer additions. It would be a big boost to our reputation, just like Sky Peak would've been, except floating in the middle of the ocean and watching how the waters moves doesn't sound anywhere near as thrilling as the latter was.

"Oh my gosh! Just thinking that is enough to make me feel faint!" Sunflora points to another area of the map, and Ri digs ours from out of our Treasure Bag to mark it down. "The Surrounded Sea's entrance is supposedly east of Blizzard Island. You should go for a look yourselves!"

"You are _not_ going back to Blizzard Island," Grovyle's authoritative carries. He doesn't have to say it twice though: We're in enough trouble as it is for going the _first_ time. Once I was feeling better, we spent a full day from dawn until dusk on chores. We're not apprentices anymore: I don't even know how Grovyle has enough pull with the Guildmaster to have made us clean the training yard and singlehandedly do the dishes for the entire compound! I thought my hands were going to smell like soap for a week!

"But you guys are Team Crusade!" A Pichu exclaims with his head just barely peaking over the table at us. "You've fought legendaries, so there's no way you couldn't do something like this!" A few of the other children chime in in agreement and for a second I begin to think the Tree Gecko is going to have a small riot on his hands as the kill-joy adult.

Ri shushes them easily though. "He's just worried about us, guys: We're just like a family." He then raises his head over at our other team member, "But Grovyle, we wouldn't even go near the island. According to the maps, it should actually be far enough away in the general direction that we won't even the peaks of Blizzard Island's mountains."

"I think we're all forgetting one, big thing," I finally speak up, "None of us can breathe underwater." Not counting Celebi, one of us _literally_ has a better chance of sprouting wings and flying than we do surviving in the depths of the ocean.

"It's not as difficult as you think, Lira," grins Sunflora, as if reading my mind. "You just have to find a Pokemon that can use Soak on you, and for a short time you'll be a Water-type."

I can only balk at her in reply. That… No, that shouldn't be possible. I turned into a Pokemon from some weird time-space magic, so maybe I don't have a right to say anything, but I've never heard of any move that can change a Pokemon's typing—only that Pokemon like Castform and Kecleon can change their type because of their natural abilities.

Celebi starts giggling at me, "It may be hard to believe, but it's real. Camofluage and Trick-or-Treat are two other moves that can change a Pokemon's type. However, like Sunflora, said it's only temporary. It can depend on the strength and intent of the Pokemon using it, but the change usually just lasts a few hours."

Marill then pushes himself up from the table, standing in his seat as he beams up at us, "My little brother can do it! Mom said he inherited Soak from our great-grandpa Psyduck—just like how I got Muddy Water from my dad!"

As the kids begin to cheer and whisper among themselves around us, it begins to look like a decision has already been made for us. Even Celebi claps along and Ri's ecstatic by the hand of good luck. Ri's decision has clearly been made, but at least two of us need to go rather than any of us make the journey alone.

Now that I know that it can actually be done… I have to admit, going exploring underwater does sound pretty cool. It's definitely not something I ever would've imagined myself being capable of. _So long as the water pressure doesn't kill us we'll probably be alright…_ Besides, the thought of Ri going on an adventure without me—and vice versa—isn't exactly ideal. "I guess there's no way out of it then," I say with a smirk and an exaggerated sigh.

Grovyle mumbles to himself contemplatively before raising his eyes to meet mine. "Fine. But this time, I'm coming with you two. At least we'll have an advantage against hostile Pokemon that way."

"Dusknoir, are you coming?" Ri asks the Ghost-type, who's kept silent through most of the meal and the entire conversation.

"I've had enough of cold and wet places for now," he retorts, "Enjoy swimming."

I give a little start at someone touching my legs and look down to find Azalea crawling into my lap. "I wish I could come too," she says with a faint yawn, content and a little tired after eating, "but all of the apprentices are going on an expedition soon."

That catches both Ri and I off-guard. I didn't even think about it, but it is about that time of year when we all went on our expedition to Fogbound Lake. We both look at Sunflora and Loudred only for them to turn sheepish and keep their own eyes pulled away from us. So that's what this is mostly about. I'm a little hurt, and I'm sure we both feel left out from all of our friends going on a trip without us, but I understand too. If we went on the expedition there's a good chance we'd get in the other's way as senior members if it's something specific for their training and eventual graduations. And not only that, but they probably wouldn't want us to miss a chance like this one to go to the Surrounded Sea. Wigglytuff said and the others agreed that we'd be able to join them on some trips: They wouldn't lie to us, so we'll need to trust them on this.

"Thank you, Sunflora." I smile at her, letting her know that we're not mad. "We'll try to come back with something to show off, so you better not lag behind on your journey either." Her own grin returns and she gives me a slight nod. It's a deal then.

I turn to the last of our teammates, "What about you, Celebi?"

A light flush takes hold of the time-traveler and she scratches the back of her head awkwardly. "I'm, uh, kinda leading the Guild expedition this time actually… They all really wanted to see the Passage of Time in Dusk Forest."

That makes it just the three of us then: Ri, Grovyle, and me. Marill and Azurill will come along too if we can get their mother to agree, but they'll have to wait for us above the sea with Lapras when we go underwater. I don't think any of us would put them in danger no matter what their powers are, and they'll be safe with her.

 _Me and my two favorite boys,_ I smirk. I guess the three of us are due a trip of our own since we had to part ways early in the Hidden Land. This could be fun.


	20. Chapter 20: Treasures of the Deep

"…So just as soon as I had set my Relic Fragment in the center of the pattern, a beam of light shot out from the wall—pointing out to the sea."

Ri has Marill and Azurill in suspense as he retells our adventure in the Brine Caves from when we were on our way to the Hidden Land and the two kids hang onto his every word. Grovyle and I occasionally add in our own notes, but Ri's pretty much got the tale covered. You'd think it'd be strange for him to go from listening attentively to the stories of other explorers to telling our own, but he's a natural at it: I was there and even I'm enjoying it.

The way to the Surrounded Sea is peaceful and though we'll have to stop somewhere overnight, we should be back in Treasure Town as early as the next evening according to Lapras—that is, depending on how long our underwater exploration takes. We'll be acting within a restricted amount of time anyway, but if we find something important that we need to bring back to the Guild we might have to dive down multiple times.

We'll need to find a way to thank Marill and Azurill for coming all the way out here with us. It'll be boring for them—waiting up on the surface until we get back—but even knowing that, they were eager to help. We'll have to thank Azumarill too for letting them tag along as well: I can't imagine her kids being this far away from home is doing anything for her nerves.

"How are you feeling, Grovyle?" I ask, turning to the Grass-type as he stares out at the water. "I'd have thought you'd be sick of travelling by sea by now." He's had to do so much of it already with Celebi when they went to other continents.

"I _am_ ," he answers without the slightest reluctance. Of course he is: Unless he's in the treetops, he's the kind of person who can't stand not having his feet on solid earth. "When we get home, no one is going anywhere for a least a few weeks—so don't get any more ideas about picking up another one of these adventures." There's a finality to his voice that says it's not something that's up for debate.

I hide back a smile. For Ri and myself, we could probably spend the rest of our days hopping from one adventure to the next. For Grovyle though, I guess he's just had more than enough for a little while. I can see him wanting to settle down for a bit and keep the rest of us close by where it's safe while he's at it. _And…_ _Maybe we do owe it to him…_ We really put him through a lot worry lately, so it wouldn't hurt to keep our work closer to town for a while.

Besides, I like how he's finally referring to Treasure Town as something I didn't ever dare to consider it until we came back from the Dark Future: Home. It's a word he never used even when we lived together during all those years of the Planet's Paralysis. Back then, we never knew any one place that we truly felt safe and we had even been on the run for a while before becoming a part of the rebellion. Living in fear of Primal Dialga day-by-day and then being forced to accept the once inevitable fact that we would be erased from existence, I don't think he ever wanted to call anywhere 'home.' The fact that he's started to means he's really finding his place in this more peaceful time.

He came with me to the past because he feels his place is by my side. But he doesn't have to protect me like he did back then, and he deserves to live a life of his own choosing. If staying in one place for a while means helping him do that and making him realize he's not 'Grovyle the Thief' anymore—if it means he finally has the 'home' that we both never thought possible for so long—then I'm fine with it.

But that doesn't mean I'm not going to tease him. "If you didn't stay high-strung, then where would you be?"

"Not running into an early grave—thanks to you," he retorts. There's no sting to his words though, and a small grin manages to crack at the edge of his mouth despite himself.

"Get ready: This is about as far as I can take you," Lapras informs us, craning her neck sideways just barely to give us a quick glance before facing the expanse of the frozen sea ahead. She's been more of a help than just getting us here: She's plowed further through the weaker areas of ice, carving a path toward the heart of the Surrounded Sea. It's just that the closer we get to Blizzard Island the thicker the layer of ice is, so there'll be no simple drop-off.

"Bring us back a souvenir please," Marill requests as we get on our feet. I smile, giving the two boys a slight not. I don't know whether we'll find anything worthwhile or not down there, but surely we can get them something to show off at home.

I double check our Treasure Bag, just to be sure I've bound it properly. There's nothing in there that the water could damage, but if it's not sealed right the flap might come undone and some of our things would float away. I've tied it down with an added cord of twine to make certain that won't happen. By the time I'm through with the small task, Lapras has slowed to a halt.

"Alright, Azurill," Ri grins, spreading his arms out with a wide gesture, "Hit us with your best shot."

Ri and I did a little research on it, so we at least have a vague idea of what's happening to our bodies as the torrent of water Azurill summons—glistening with a mythical energy—falls upon us. Still, looking it up in a book and feeling its affects are two different things, and I'm not quite ready for the wave of lethargy—on top of the searing cold—that overcomes me for just a moment as my heartrate slows. I extended my arms away from me as a dizzy spell hits, but thankfully it doesn't last too long.

For mammals, like Ri and myself, the proteins in our bodies is what's most altered—positively charging them so that they bind oxygen to and store it within us, making it so that we can stay underwater for unreal periods of time. However, for reptiles, like Grovyle—even though he refused to know anything about it himself, I couldn't resist looking it up—the molecules of their skin are altered so that they can pull oxygen from the water.

Already drenched from head-to-foot, I shiver in the biting air. My biggest concern will be for handling the temperature of the water. None of us can rely on a thick layer body fat to protect us and Grovyle's body relies on external forces. The chances of the cold getting to us are more likely than running out of oxygen as we are now.

"Your chest will start hurting a bit when you need to come back up," Azurill explains, "You'll have a few hours, but don't stay down there too long."

Hopefully, we've come out far enough that it'll pretty much be a straight dive down. All things considered, I'm glad it's the three of us going down there rather than anyone else on the team. Dusknoir would have a greater tolerance to the cold, but is naturally slower than the rest of us due to his size; Celebi's wings would drag her back in the water; and Azalea simply wouldn't be able to keep up with us without help. Land or sea, we're still the fastest and should be able to make it back alright.

Kneeling down on one knee for a moment, I pull the pair of young brothers in for a quick hug. "We'll be sure to hurry. Just be sure to listen to Lapras while we're gone, you two."

"Arceus, that's cold!" Grovyle shouts. I look back behind be to see him dangling his feet into the ocean, his tense, bristled form a warning of what's to come.

I've had so many close experiences with drowning you'd think that I'd have developed a fear of it by now. But, except for worrying over the temperature of the water, I'm actually a little excited as I brace myself to jump in. It'll be a whole other world down there, one that not many of us have the chance to see. Curiosity outweighs my concerns.

If we're going to have to persevere through the cold no matter what, it's just better to get it over with. With a running start, I lunge into the water. The freezing temperature needles at all parts of my flesh and my muscles jerk tight as I sink beneath the surface—bubbles rupturing all around me. I hear a splash over to my left and know Ri's jumped in as well, and as I break the surface I gasp and watch as my breath spirals in front of me in an icy cloud.

Lapras offers one of her fins out to us and we both take it without hesitation, working our muscles despite the cold in order to prepare for the long swim. I look up at Grovyle, where he still sits on her back, an offer him a quivering smirk, "Come right in; the water's f-fine…" My voice betrays myself, but— dang it—if we're going through with this and he feels such a need to babysit us, then he's coming too!

He frowns at me, then at the ocean, shaking his head. "This is insane…" he mutters, his face scrunching up until he finally throws himself into the sea. His reaction is no better than mine and he keeps an arm out against Lapras to steady himself. The leaf appendages on his arms flair out sharply in reaction to the stinging cold and he continues to grimace as he allows his body a minute to adjust.

"If you feel yourselves becoming overly tired," Lapras instructs, "come back to the surface immeadiately. "Soak might turn you into a Water-type temporarily, but you should know by now that it won't entirely defend your body against the elements."

"G-got it," Ri fumbles, shivering. Nevertheless, he's doing it with a smile. He then turns to me, "We better make each minute count."

I nod, and I follow after him as he submerges beneath the surface of the water. The last thing I see before entering the ocean's depths is Marill and Azurill's final wave goodbye. The saltwater should sting, but for whatever reason—probably tied to Soak's effects—it doesn't: I can open my eyes freely without their getting burned.

There's no telling how far down it goes. I can only make out blurred shapes in the distance of the wide expanse of crystal blue. Ri dives past me, stopping only to look back and motion for Grovyle and I to follow as the latter submerges alongside me. If I reach out with my aura, I can sense the rolling pattern of the landscape below as the two of us go after him. Reaching the sea floor is the best thing we can do for right now: After that, finding anything worthwhile will probably just be up to chance.

At least the Pokemon here seem nicer than the ones on Blizzard Island. If anything, they actually seem to be somewhat nervous around us, darting out of the way when we cross paths with them. Any of those that stop to look back do so only with curiosity. The islanders may have been secluded, but outsiders like us had arrived on their shores on occasion. Meanwhile, the Pokemon down here have been completely isolated from the world for years know, so it's only natural they had no idea who or what we are—or even if it's safe to come near us. After all, it's not as if we'd look like any Water-type's they've ever seen before.

But the deeper we go the more populated the area seems to be, and it's clear that the Pokemon here have been able to thrive even in isolation. A garden of deep-sea corals stretches out over the platforms of rock tinted shades of purple and grey, covering the landscape in a multitude of pastel yellows and reds. Small fissures cut into the rocks emit bubbles and warmth as we move past them, making the area pleasantly comfortable and signaling the possibility of there being an undersea volcano somewhere nearby. I smile as I watch as a family of Horsea and Seadra, and Ri nudges me in the arm when we see a school of Finneon dart over our heads.

Even here, the Pokemon around us just… seem to keep their distance. I wouldn't want to risk it, but the way things are right now I'd almost say it would've been safe enough for Marill and Azurill to come along after all.

I think that for a long while until we do finally stumble over the treasures Sunflora had told us about. Here, the currents are particularly strong and few Pokemon travel anywhere nearby. It's almost like a no-man's land, and we have to latch on to the rocks in order to maneuver through it. The 'treasures' that she talked about are actually various items from who knows where: Some rare, as she said, and other completely worthless. I think some of them might just come from Blizzard Island itself, but there are other objects that Ri can't recognize that I know come from the human-filled territories far off from here.

Finding a tiny, velvet coin purse lodged against a boulder, I veer off-course to grab it—opening it up to find an all too familiar currency inside it. The paper money—at least that's what I assume it must've been—is nothing but a pile of mush, but the coins I recognize as being from the Unova region. I never used them when I travelled to get where I am now, but I remember having bartered them in my old life as if they were something from a distant dream.

"The boys might like these," I say, showing them off to Ri as he comes over to see what the delay is about.

He nods, grinning, "They're as good as anything else would be." Looking over to a faded antique vase nearly as large as us, he adds, "And it would probably be better to give them something small."

"Not to mention we don't have to worry about the two of them fighting over these." There's plenty enough for the both of them to share, or even pass out to some of their friends if they'd want to. And Unova's so far away… In the very least, we can tell them where these actually come from and that'll hold part of the appeal.

All at once, we both startle as our aura sensors quiver alongside our heads in unison. We share a confused look, then turn toward the origins of whatever it is we're sensing—where the paths of a trio of currents warp and bend around one another without intersecting, leaving a circular gap in-between them on the ocean floor. It's as if whatever it is is trying to call out to us, and it's only in our natures for the both of us to head after it.

"Don't wander off!" I hear Grovyle order, but in the end he just drops what he's doing and chases after us anyway. Ri and I are too focused on what's ahead and we both know he can take care of himself, so there's no stopping us. Besides, whatever it is that we're feeling doesn't feel off in any way. The only thing weird is, while it feels very much _alive_ , there's this sense that it's… not? No, it's like it's dormant life: That's the best way to phrase it.

Eventually we work our way into a clearing amid the coral and boulders. Other than for a few scattered chests just big enough to fit within the both of our palms, we can't find what's brought us here—not at first. It isn't until we've moved deeper—toward a small nook within the rocks—that we find it: An oval-esque shape that almost comes up to our hips, slanted in the sand. It's as pure a blue as the sea itself, with a crimson orb at its heart and a wreath of golden spheres circling above that. It glows with a mythical light, and I can't help myself when I tentatively place a hand along its smooth surface. It might be my imagination, but it seems to react to my touch with whatever is inside it moving closer to my palm and I smile.

"What is it?" I whisper.

Ri shakes his head, placing his hand along it as I did, "I'm not sure… I haven't seen anything like this before."

"It's an egg," we hear from behind us in a factual tone. Grovyle steps closer, folding his arms across his chest. "Lira, you're not used to seeing them, but Ri, you should be. Weren't there any young children where you grew up?"

"I know what an egg looks like," he answers somewhat defensively, "And I know they come in all different patterns, but I don't know any like this…"

"But if this is an egg, then where's this little guy's parents?" I ask worriedly, cutting their argument short. I take another look around, but there really seems to be no one in sight, and surely no one would leave their baby out in the open like this on purpose! Were they carried off from somewhere else by the current? The poor kid isn't even born yet to know what's happened, but I feel a tug of empathy for them.

"It doesn't look like they have any to speak of," Grovyle answers, confirming the worst of my suspicions. When I was five I had no chance of surviving alone: If it hadn't been for him, I would've been captured or killed the very minute I was left in the forest by myself. And an egg needs constant looking after: It's fragile and it needs to be kept incubated. I don't know how it survived the way here if it did come by one of the currents, but if it weren't for the fissures keeping it warm, I doubt the egg would've survived this long. And _if_ it hatches…

The finality in my voice leaves no room for debate, "We're taking it with us." I don't mean to sound so harsh when I say it, but nothing either of them could say would talk me out of this. I'd never forgive myself for turning away and abandoning anyone, let alone a baby that can't even speak for themselves. I had been left to die in the dark future, and when my parents died in the other I was trapped in an orphanage that I hated with a passion until I finally ran away! I am _not_ leaving them here!

Grovyle's giving me a look that says it all: How irresponsible and poorly thought out my decision is, how quick I am to make it without considering all that will go into caring for the egg, how I'm still too young and immature to really know what to do. And he's right about it all, but—

But then he smiles, and I feel a hand fall upon my shoulder. Looking over it, I find Ri's eyes staring into my own and he understands: He knows exactly where I'm coming from and feels the same pull to it as I do thanks to our aura. "Then let's bring it back to the Guild." His gaze is filled with such warmth, that I can't help but feel at ease from it.

"I think this is enough adventure for today, Lira, so let's go home."


	21. Chapter 21: What's Worth Protecting

Celebi, Azalea and the rest of our Guild mates hadn't come back yet from their expedition by the time we returned to Treasure Town, but that didn't mean that the compound was completely empty. There was one person who stayed behind to run the place, but how he managed it alone is completely beyond me.

I know that Dusknoir is used to being in a position of leadership from being the general of Primal Dialga's forces in the dark future. Still, until we made it back, there was no one to help him with the steady stream of Pokemon coming in and out of the building every day. Keeping the Mission Boards updated constantly, recording logs, providing meals for visiting explorers, checking newcomers without a sentry… I would've thought we'd come back to find him passed out in his room from being so overworked, but he seemed like he was in his element.

It's not like we left everything up to him alone though once we were home again: We're all taking our share of responsibilities. Ri sees to meals and checking on supplies, I've all but started living in the sentry post, and even Grovyle helps out. Even though we have to put our usual work on hold, we stay plenty busy. Only at night are we given any real reprieve.

In fact, we stay so busy at times we forget how empty the place feels without the rest of the Guild here. It's strange, but also kind of nice, when the end of the day comes and it's just the four of us sitting in the quiet dining hall, when it's normally so rowdy you can hardly hear yourself think. Only guests that appear for maybe a day or so give us any outside company, and they usually keep to their own business.

But Ri and I do make time to check-up on the egg we'd found in the Surrounded Sea. We take turns throughout the day to make sure it's still safe and warm: Wrapped in a blanket on a fresh bed of hay, resting by the window in the warmth of the sun. Alone, being a sentry is something of a full-time job, so it's usually Ri who pops in there every now and then just for a few minutes.

We probably could've let Chansey look after the egg for us, but seeing as how we were the ones who found it and decided to take it home, we figured it was our responsibility—granted, not without some help. We got some tips from her on how to care for it. There's just one thing about it that no one—not even Dusknoir—has been able to tell us: We have no idea what species the little guy will turn out to be. Usually it's easy to recognize by the pattern on the shell, however, we even asked a few different Water-types and they didn't have any ideas on what kind of Pokemon he'll be. In case he's one of those that can _only_ survive in water though, we've brought in a wooden tub, so at least we're prepared for that.

It should only be another day or two though for the rest of the Guild to return. When they do, we'll ask Chatot what he thinks. As obnoxious as he can be at times, he's the Guild's Head of Intelligence for a reason: With all luck, he can tell us what the egg will hatch into.

I just don't know if Ri can wait that long…

"Staring at it isn't going to make it hatch any faster." It's too easy to tease him over it: He's been acting as curious and overexcited as a little kid at Christmas. As with every morning since we've been back, the first thing he does is see how the egg's doing.

"I didn't get to see my little brother hatch. I don't want to miss this one," is his simple reply. He then casts me a glance over his shoulder, "Besides, you can't say you're not curious."

"Yeah, but it's not like we can do anything except wait." I give my partner a small shrug as I comb out the tangles from my frizzled bed-head. I'm actually pretty okay with not knowing just so long as we can sense the little guy's aura: If he's healthy, then he can take as long as he needs to. "You're pretty eager, aren't you? You're not usually this impatient about things."

"It's not every day this sort of thing happens." He makes sure that the egg is securely tucked in before rising onto his feet.

He looks like he's about to add something to that when a knock sounds on our door and we share a curious look. It's hard to think what anyone would want with us this early in the morning, because we usually wouldn't be up at this hour ourselves if it weren't for the excess of work to do around the Guild. When there's a second rapping at the door, we both move toward it together just as a familiar baritone calls through the wood, "Lira? Ri? Are you awake? There's something I wish to discuss with the both of you."

Dusknoir? Of all people, I definitely wasn't expecting him this early—or at all. He's had to come out of his quarters more often now, but he usually just dives straight into his work. Not once has he ever gone out of his way to say 'good morning' to us.

Even knowing he's there, it's surprising to see him when we open our door. "Is everything alright?" Ri questions somewhat hesitantly. I know how he's feeling: I can't think of him showing up like this either without it being some kind of emergency. The Ghost-type is far too pragmatic to do anything without a good reason—including polite conversation.

"Yes, everything's fine: There's no need to fret," he dismisses. He pauses for a moment to consider his words before adding, "I was wondering… Would you mind telling me what moves the two of you know? I'd like to get an idea of the whole of your strengths."

Our movesets? Well, we've worked hard to learn everything we possibly could, so they're pretty extensive… Outside of regular fighting techniques, on top of being the most adept with basic skills using his aura, Ri knows Reversal, Screech, and Bone Rush: I know Aura Sphere, Vacuum Wave, Circle Throw, and also Attract—although I _never_ use it and only learned it because Sunflora and Chimecho insisted that I did. We both know Quick Attack, Endure, Counter, Force Palm, and Foresight, and we each can use Copycat to use moves the other has already learned.

When we explain this to him though, he doesn't seem overly pleased. "Except for Ri's Bone Rush and what the two of you can manage with Copycat, you're exclusively keeping an arsenal of Fighting and Normal-type moves," he sighs, "It's true that manipulating aura gives the both of you a slight advantage and Foresight allows you to battle Ghost-types like myself on even ground, but you're limiting yourselves by using those kind of attacks alone."

I swear it's too early for us to get a lecture… _Our attacks seemed to work just fine against you and Dialga,_ I feel like reminding him, and even as the thought crosses my mind I feel my lips curl into a slight pout. I know they're probably not the most ideal movesets, but they've worked for us and we've trained countless hours to build them.

"I wouldn't mind teaching the both of you Payback or Fling," he offers, "That way you two would at least have a move of one other type at your disposal. If either of you had evolved, there'd be so much more you could learn, but…" He leaves it at that, trailing into his own thoughts.

Ri and I share a look. It's not that we don't appreciate the offer—we're more than happy to take on anything we can learn—but why this all of a sudden? Dusknoir's gone from rarely crawling out of his room to trying to teach us. And he knows the two of us are far from weak, so what's the point to any of this?

Then it dawns on me: He's scared for us. We've had too many close calls lately all because of whoever is after me, so he wants us to be prepared for if—no, when—it happens again. He's just trying to hide the fact that that's why he wants us to train harder. Because he knows that there will be another attempt on our lives and until we can figure this mess out they'll just keep finding new ways to try to kill us.

"I guess we can give it a try," Ri answers for the both of us, though his eyes are uncertain.

"Good. Now then…You're aware that moves and abilities are often passed on from parents to their offspring, correct? Neither of you can reach your full potential unless you explore those options as well in order to improve your combat techniques."

"I was a human. My parents were human," I contradict, "From what I know, they couldn't use aura and they didn't have any other special powers either. They were just regular people." I can see the two of us practicing some new moves, but isn't that going a bit too far all at once? Besides, I don't see how I could have anything unique passed on to me since my transformation into a Pokemon was just a freak accident.

"Actually, Lira, according to what I've studied your mother may have been exceptionally well-bred." He says this in such a blatant manner that I can scarcely believe him, but before I can fully absorb them he just keeps talking, "Your aura is naturally strong, hinting at a steady family line of Lucario. And you quickly took to learning moves such as Circle Throw, which would normally only be adopted by a member of your species from the father _unless_ the mother already knows them. As for your father—based on the hardness of your claws, your build, and the fullness of your tail—he might've paralleled with a Lycanroc. Because of that, it's possible that you could also easily learn Bite or Crunch."

"I'm not going to bite people!" I can hardly believe the ridiculousness of my own words, but then this entire part of the conversation is ridiculous. He should know better than most that I wasn't born this way, so who can say that would even work for me?

"Of course, we don't know if genetics would follow your turning into a Pokemon, if it directly involved your spirit, or both," he shrugs, "but as far as your transformation and the compatibility of your parents are concerned, it's a fair theory." He turns to my partner next, "Ri, you said that one of your grandfathers is a Zoroark, correct? What about the other?"

"He's a Bisharp," he answers, "I don't know any farther back in my family than that."

"Agility, Detect, or Iron Defense then… If you can, I'd like for you to find out what moves your parents may have inherited. They might've passed others down to you."

And how are we supposed to learn them? When it came to mastering what we already know, we taught ourselves and then helped one another based on what we gathered from practice and studying from books. Some of these moves sound like they're completely beyond us without someone to show us them first. With how crazy things are right now, it's not like we can just leave the Guild to find others who might know them. We're needed here.

"We'll wait until the remainder of the Guild has returned before we begin." Just as quickly as he had appeared, Dusknoir turns to go, "Until then, try to decide which move you'd like to start with."

Does he really believe we're in that much danger? The last two times we were attacked they were in extremely remote areas, so I don't think Pitch Black would be willing to try something here in Treasure Town or anywhere close. Nothing happened when we went out to the Surrounded Sea, but this could also be the calm before the storm: He could be planning something big. I don't know…

I cross the distance back to the bed to take my brush and stow it away within our chest as Ri closes the door behind him. He snorts good-naturedly, shaking his head as he looks my way, "Just what was that about?"

How can I tell him? The way things are turning out, I know I should, but if I'm just being paranoid… I don't want to worry him. I give him a small shrug.

He quickly notices my reluctance though and closes the distance between us. "Lira, if you know something's up, please tell me. I don't like being left in the dark like this." He runs a hand across my arm, but I flit my gaze away from his.

I remember when we first found out that I was from the future after Dusknoir's betrayal. He didn't take it at all well, even with the truth right in front of us. He was so hurt and I know the confusion must have torn him apart. And back when we were putting the Time Gears in Temporal Tower, Grovyle and I chose not to tell him we'd disappear because we both knew he wouldn't have been able to go through with our mission if we did. And _when_ I disappeared, he turned into a completely different person. If he ended up doing something stupid because of my suspicions, then—

He pulls me toward him, wrapping his arms around me in a sudden embrace. "Please stop trying to keep secrets from me," he says in a soft voice. I freeze in his hold, unsure of myself. "Didn't you say that when you woke up in the future and were trying to find Grovyle, that you really hated feeling like you had to hide your identity from me? The older me, anyway… No matter what, I'm here for you. I don't want you to have to suffer in silence like that. And you might not believe it, but it hurts me more when you do too.

"When you vanished after Temporal Tower… Yeah, I was kinda mad at you because you didn't trust me enough to say anything. I was more upset though because you didn't let me say or do anything to try to help. And maybe I would've messed up, but I hated thinking about how much you were hurting when I could've said or done _something_. We're a team, and I don't want there to be any secrets between us. I don't want you to feel like you have to hide things from me just to keep me safe."

Leaning into his shoulder, I take in his words carefully. Am I really being that unfair? I never meant to be, and I trust Ri more than anyone. Thinking it over though… I'm really just doing what Grovyle did to me: Trying to protect him with silence. I hated it, so how could I expect Ri to feel anything different?

I squeeze my arms around him, inwardly bracing myself as I mutter into his chest, "Darkrai could be after us."

He goes rigid. When he says nothing, I repeat the words. I still can't bring my eyes up to his though, not even when he finally replies in a near-whisper, "You mean that Pokemon that came after you before? I thought he was from the future…"

"I don't know if he is or not anymore," I admit, "but I can't stop feeling like most of what's happened to us lately is because of him. The signs are too similar."

"Do you think you've seen him anywhere?"

"I didn't even get a good look at him when he came after me before." How could I have? It was only for a split second when he actually came at me face-to-face on that ship, and immeadiately after I fell overboard. It was like looking at a shadow. Other than that, he's always done his dirty work through someone else. "I could recognize his eyes and his voice, but that's all.

"I don't know if Dusknoir or Grovyle think it might be him after us too, but they definitely know something and whatever it is they're trying to keep it to themselves. I overheard them talking when we got back from Blizzard Island, and Dusknoir's almost certain that what happened might have been planned ahead of time.

"I don't even know how it's possible, but I… I'm worried he might be chasing me, Ri. What if he did somehow manage to follow me here from the future? I don't even know why he's after me in the first place, but he's already shown that he's not above hurting other people to get to me—not Masa, or _you_ …"

In the middle of my rambling a hand cups my cheek and gently urges my gaze upward, and before I can react I feel Ri's lips cover my own in a silencing kiss. Just like that, all thought ceases and I feel a part of my fears drain away to make room for my shock at the bold move.

I can only blink at him myopically when he eventually pulls away, giving me a small smile, "Whatever's going on, we'll manage to get through it together—just like we always have."

I don't know how he can say it so calmly and so sure of himself, but I grin back. I still feel like I'll have to keep an eye on him, but I'm glad he at least seems to be taking to this better than I thought he would. I've always believed in his courage, but he's really grown as a person throughout our adventures. There's no way I can explain how much it means to me that I can rely on him as much as I do.

* * *

The hours come and go as the rest have since we went to the Surrounded Sea, and by the time we return to our room later that night we're both exhausted and satisfied from a hard day's work. I easily fall asleep in Ri's arms, but what breaks the comfortable pattern is his stirring. Normally he's as motionless as can be, only the occasional flick of his tail or slight shift of his arm to disturbing the rhythm of his peaceful rest.

That night, he shifts so abruptly that I'm shaken back into partial consciousness before uttering a soft groan and curling back into the hay. The moonlight streaming through the window is exceptionally bright and I turn my head away from it as I try to get back to sleep.

Not that I get much of a chance to. Not a second passes before my partner firmly shakes me by my shoulder. "Lira…. Lira! Wake up!" he exclaims in an excited whisper.

"Lay back down, Ri…" I mumble. Honestly, what has him so worked up in the middle of the night that it can't wait until morning?

Then I hear it: A faint noise like a ball bouncing along a grassy field, or a pebble dropped into a river. Ri shakes me awake more fervently this time, but he doesn't have to. I push myself up to sit beside him and spin my head over to where the egg is with widened eyes.

"It moved!" he says in a hushed voice—as if afraid that, if he spoke any louder, he would scare the baby and the egg wouldn't shift a second time. But it does. It rattles back and forth along the hay bed we made for it. A wave of nerves passes over me at the sight and something tugs against my heart. I want to move closer, but my body remains frozen in place, so instead I find Ri's hand and give it a tight squeeze.

Is it really…?

"Lira, the egg is hatching!" Ri's eyes shine in a way that could rival the stars just outside our window. No sooner does he say this, a vivid light overtakes the egg and brightens the entire room. It's a really warm light though, full of life like the sun, and the both of us get onto our feet in an instant.

Though it's kind of hard to tell, the shape of the egg begins to morph into something else, something far more natural. They're small—they can't be any bigger than Azurill—and the biggest thing about them is the pair of antenna-like shapes that curve from the crown of their head. A new feeling that I can't really identify overcomes me and I finally have it in me to step closer, wrapping my arms around the shape just as the light begins to dim.

Ri's not even a second behind me, hurrying over to see the newborn. It's a boy: I can tell that much. I've never seen a Pokemon like this before though. His skin is as striking a blue as the sea, and in the center of his chest in a small, oval, red gem. A canary yellow dot rests just below that, and circular patterns above and around his eyes of the same color are somewhat reminiscent to eye lashes. When his eyes do flutter open, a pair of navy orbs stare up at us curiously—so new and full of wonder for the world he's just awoken in.

And when he smiles, I feel a rush of love come over me for him. "Kyakya! Kyakya!" he coos up at us.

"Ha! He's so cute!" Ri beams, gently taking one of his fin-like hands in his own. "Hey, little guy. What kind of Pokemon are you?"

I can't help but giggle as the baby tilts his head up at Ri and echoes, "Pokè?" Really, I'm surprised he can mimic anything we say at all. I don't think human babies can make anything but noises when they're this little. It's just too funny to see Ri try to make conversation with him right off the bat though.

He blushes a bit. "Maybe this little guy's too young to understand anything I say?"

"You think?"

"I say?" The baby repeats, flicking his gaze at the both of us. It's so cute that I draw him closer to my chest. It's so strange, falling in love with him this easily, but I feel drawn to him by instinct. And it's not hard to see that Ri thinks the very same, the way he looks at him.

We both laugh, getting back up. I don't know how soon baby Pokemon can move around on their own, but I don't feel like putting him down right now anyway. It's still late, but there's no way we can resist. With the newborn in my arms, we rush out into the hall to go tell the others the news.

It looks as though we just might have one more member of the family.


	22. Chapter 22: Just Kids

"Come on, little guy, just one more bite? One more bite for us, _please?_ " Ever since he hatched, Ri and I have just made a habit of calling him 'little guy.' I wanted to give him an actual name—I don't see the harm in him having one—but everyone I've talked to agrees that it's best to just wait and find out what kind of Pokemon he is first since the name of his species is likely to be what most people call him by to begin with. I never thought about it much because people always used mine and Ri's names since we usually stay together, but I guess it's kind of an important thing for the world of Pokemon. So until we find out _what_ he is, it's 'little guy' he'll stay.

He makes a face of disgust before pouting at me, turning his face away from the spoonful of applesauce held out to him. If Ri wasn't holding onto him, he'd probably dart off as he's tried to do before. We don't actually have as much trouble with him as anyone would think since he's a fairly happy baby. He's content being carried around as Ri and I work, partly because there's no shortage of people coming in to see him and play with him; he loves splashing around in the little tub we set up in our room; and at night he likes to snuggle in-between Ri and me, remaining in a deep, fitful slumber until it's time to get up the next morning. The only problem we have with him is that he's a picky eater, and it ends up being a _big_ problem because when he gets hungry he gets fussy.

I heave a deep sigh before forcing a smile and waving the end of the spoon in the air. "See? It's a magic carpet," I coo at him playfully, "You gotta catch it or it's going to fly away. Open wide…"

Every mouthful I manage to get into him makes me feel a glimmer of success that rivals some of our greatest victories as an exploration team. It never fails thought that right afterwards he's back to being pouty again and it takes another ten minutes to get him to take another bite. I just don't understand it.

"A Vanillish is dropping by the café later to make some ice cream," Spinda offers, sitting at the opposite side of the table. Like so many of the other townsfolk, she had dropped by to see the baby was doing. Right now though, I think she's just enjoying the show… "I could bring over a bowl for him if you want."

"He needs to eat more than ice cream," I answer, not taking my eyes off of him as I try the same trick as before. Sadly, it doesn't work.

Ri nods at my words, "We just need to find something he likes: Something healthy. There's got to be some kind of favorite food of his."

I stare down with dismay at the small bowl of applesauce in my hands. _He didn't even eat half of it…_ Ri even added a touch of sugar and cinnamon to the mix to make it sweeter than normal. How can a baby be so picky? It's not like he's used to trying different types of food just yet.

I'm lost in the middle of my thoughts when suddenly the doors of the mess hall swing open with a loud bang. The noise is enough to startle all of us, and the little guy begins to whimper until Ri cradles him in his arms to calm him down. Our eyes snap up to the doors and, much to our shock, there hovers a familiar, pink, fairy-like figure. Celebi. They're back!

"Where's my nephew?!" she exclaims, her wings rapidly beating against the air in her flustered state.

I don't even know how to _begin_ to respond to a thing like that… Somewhere in the back of my mind it occurs to me that she must've seen either Dusknoir or Grovyle first and they explained the situation to her, but however they did it, clearly they didn't do it well enough! The implications in her words just leave me gawking at her in disbelief. She… She does know it's not like that at all, right? That he's not really our kid, _right?!_ Surely, one of them got around to telling her that much! And where's all of this 'nephew' stuff coming from?

My partner is the first to recover, clearing his throat awkwardly before mumbling, "It's great to see you again too, Celebi. Welcome back…"

I notice Spinda covering her hand over her mouth and see the laughter in her eyes that she's trying so hard to contain. Now it's my turn to pout: Can't she help us out here and say something? But by now, Celebi's seen the baby and she zips over with a faint squeal muffled behind her own hands. From the look on her face, you'd think she'd never once seen a baby before. Nevertheless, it's clear she adores him. As for the little guy, once he's settled down, he blinks up at her with wide eyes full of wonder.

"He's _so_ cute…" she whispers, bobbing around him in the air, "Almost too cute to be a boy…"

"Did you _just_ get back here?" I press, setting the bowl of applesauce on the table. "Has anyone even stopped to unpack yet?"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?!" she counters, "I leave for less than two weeks and suddenly I have a nephew?! Why _wouldn't_ I come to see him immeadiately?"

"You know, we're not really his parents," Ri snorts as he echoes my thoughts from just a moment ago. Even if we considered that the currents carried him a long way as an egg, that doesn't change the likelihood that his folks are still out there looking for him, and if that's so then they're probably worried sick. I don't know if we can find them, but we can't exactly claim him as ours. Besides, we're too young and not really responsible enough to raise a kid. If some ways we're still kids ourselves. We just have to look after him to the best of our abilities.

"You might as well be," she purses her lips at us both, placing her hands on her hips. "Don't you two know anything about imprinting? _He_ saw you first, so to him you're as good as his mom and dad."

"She does have a point there," Spinda shrugs, pitching in, "The first person a baby sees tends to be the one they form the strongest bond with. And didn't you say you guys felt something with your aura when you found his egg?"

 _Oh,_ now _you speak up._

"Exactly!" Celebi beams, "And by right of association, I can adopt him as my nephew!"

I turn Ri with pleading eyes to help stop this madness. Truthfully though, with the way Celebi behaves at times, I don't know if he can. He just shakes his head before rising to his feet with the baby in his arms. I have no idea what he's planning until he's already halfway out the door. "If everyone's here, then we should go ahead and see Chatot," he explains, casting me a sidelong glance as a hint to follow him, "Maybe we can finally get some answers about this little guy."

I readily latch onto the excuse, dashing away from the table and after him as Celebi remains flabbergasted at our self-dismissal, shooting a look from us to Spina before shouting after our retreating forms, "H-hey! We're not done here yet! When you get back, you're going to let me have some quality time with the baby, got that?!"

I snicker at that. No, we wouldn't be cruel enough to keep the baby from her—it's almost as if all of the Guild's adopted him already anyway, even without Wigglytuff being here all this time—but it's true that we do need answers. It'll be easier to get them now while our friends are busy unpacking than it will be later when everyone's fawning all over the ankle-biter. Celebi's antics alone are bad enough, but I can only imagine how Chimecho and Sunflora will react. Combine them with the rest of our Guildmates… Well, we're going to have a crazy time explaining things. I don't picture Chatot as the kind to coo over babies, so we should just be able to get a straight answer from him talking one-on-one.

Grovyle offered to take over for me for a bit when Ri and I went to feed the baby, but there really isn't all that much traffic going on at this time of the day. I'm relieved to see no one but the Guild's second in the wide chamber we enter as we leave the mess hall, and from what I can tell by the muffled voices sounding from the Guildmaster's quarters, Dusknoir is keeping Wigglytuff busy reviewing over what went on in his absence. It's perfect.

Naturally, he still panics when he first sees that we're carrying a kid in our arms, but calms down enough for us to explain things—beginning right from where we found him in the Surrounded Sea. We even described the currents that flowed there and handed him one of our maps to try to hypothesize where he came from, but it seems to almost be too much for the Flying-type to take in at once.

"Do you have any idea what kind of Pokemon the little guy is, Chatot?" Ri presses after a moment of silence stifles between us three.

He hums thoughtfully to himself, moving a step closer to get a better look, though I think it's more out of habit than anything. A sign to make it look like he's busy thinking when really his eyes are still filled with baffled shock. "Well, to be honest, this is the first time I've seen a Pokemon of this sort," he finally admits, "But judging from what you'd told me… This youngster appears to be a Pokemon named Manaphy."

 _Manaphy…_ I test the name out in my head, turning to the little one. Leaning other, I tickle his lightly on his stomach—evoking a soft giggle out of him in return—and smile. _So you're Manaphy._ It's so good to finally have something to call him.

"This youngster is an extremely rare Pokemon. There are only a few in the whole world," Chatot continues, "It's said to hatch at the bottom of the cold sea, and it then travels the seas of thousands of miles. I should emphasize that a Manaphy is _very rarely_ sighted. As a result, little is actually known about the Pokemon."

In that case, I hope we did alright bringing him back and warming his egg like we did, but those waters were _freezing_ and I don't see how any egg could stand them as cold as they were even if they normally like it. If he's really that special though, then Celebi might know more about taking care of him than we expected even if she's never seen a member of his species before either. After all, isn't her species kind of the same way—just on land and through time?

"So this little guy's actually a really rare Pokemon," Ri echoes with a grin, patting him on the head affectionately. He doesn't really seem to care though and neither do I: It's cool, sure, but it doesn't change the fact that the tyke's still just a little baby that we found together. To us, he's our 'little guy' before being Manaphy.

"Rare-rare!" the blue bundle of joy squeals in a sing-song voice, waving his arms at us. However, I still don't think he knows what he's saying just yet. Just like us, the word holds little meaning to him.

Chatot takes a long look at him before raising his gaze back to us, "So you two. What do you intend to do with this youngster?"

And that's where we struggle to answer him back. To be honest, we haven't given it much thought; not anywhere _near_ enough thought as we should. Ever since he hatched our focus has been on taking care of him, but we can't really do it forever, can we? Like I've mentioned before, he has to have a home somewhere and we're just not ready for this sort of thing. We need to figure out a way to find his family…

All of a sudden, a tiny sniffle breaks us out of our thoughts and our eyes snap back to the baby just in time to see his eyes well-up with tears. _Oh no, not again…_ Just as I suspected though, he's getting fussy because he hasn't had much to eat. His sniffles turn to full wails as my partner rocks him in his arms to try to calm him back down.

"I would imagine his hungry," Chatot notes awkwardly. For all of his know-how, he's clearly uncomfortable handling this sort of thing.

"We don't know what to feed him," Ri answers in turn, "We've tried everything." We might as well have tried giving him everything anyway: Various types of berries; mashed potatoes and other vegetables; different fruits cut into tiny, bite-sized pieces. The only things we've really avoided are things that would be too rich or spicy for him. Both Spinda and Chansey have been a big help, but not even anything they recommend really works—except for giving him ice cream anyway, and again, he can't live on that.

"I'm not sure either," the Flying-type muses aloud, "but because this youngster is a Water-type Pokemon… How about feeding him some Blue Gummis?"

That would make sense. They're more like healthy candies that grow naturally for whatever reason, the different types of them appealing to different Pokemon—for example, Ri and I love the orange ones—but they're soft and easy to eat. They're shaped more like large beans, so we cook either cut or mash their up to feed Manaphy. I never considered them an option because I don't really think of them as food so much as sweet vitamins, but that could work. It's an idea anyway, and that's more than either of us really have.

"Ok! Blue Gummis!" Ri hurriedly thinks to himself, passing Manaphy over to me so I can try to soothe him in his stead. I begin to bounce the baby in my arms, holding him against my chest as I rock him from side to side with a shift of my weight from leg to leg. "Let's see… Blue Gummis… I think we found some at Craggy Coast."

I inwardly groan at that. That's halfway across the continent, and although the two of us could make it there and back just fine on our own within wearing ourselves out we can't carry Manaphy all the way out there. It's not safe for him. That and I think of Grovyle and how he's going to kill us for travelling all that way when we promised him we'd stay close to home for a while. Thanks to our species, Ri and I could easily dart there and back in a day or two if we kept going—and we're well rested enough that we could—but I know he's not going to want us travelling that far without someone accompanying us and I can't think of anyone who could keep up to that extreme. Then we've got to worry about who's going to watch after the baby while we're gone… This is a nightmare…

As if reading my thoughts, Chatot offers, "You might be able to find another Flying-type who would carry you out that way and back, or a Psychic-type who can Teleport you there."

"And we can get Grovyle or someone else to watch after Manaphy while we're gone. If all else fails, Chansey can watch him for a little while." Ri assures me with a gentle grin. "It's not like we haven't been to Craggy Coast before. It should be easy for us now."

He's got a point there, but I don't see the others going along with it. The Pokemon from that area don't appear to be overly strong, meaning we could handle ourselves just fine in a fight, but we'd need to watch where we're walking. An avalanche or cave-in is still a possibility. Still, if it's the only place where we can get something the little guy will eat then we really should go. I can't think of anyone we could ask to go in our place, especially since all of the apprentices just got back home.

As always, I have our Treasure Bag, so we're ready to go anyway. I set Manaphy down on the floor beside us. "I saw Team Seedgey earlier today, so we can ask Pidgey if any of his cousins will take us there." If we can get them to take us, then we could hopefully be back later tonight, but we have to get going. "Chatot, look after our kid while we're gone."

Ri shoots me a funny look before smiling with shared mischief and taking off after me as I then start running for the ladders. He knows it was an underhanded trick to play, but he also knows we can't waste time and that Chatot will keep an eye on him—or else send him to someone who will. The two of us can handle the consequences when we get back.

I call over to the sentry station where my brother's at just as my hands clamp around the ladder rungs, "Grovyle, we're going to Craggy Coast! We'll be back soon! I love you!"

And Ri and I are already scrambling up to the Guild's first floor before either of them can fully process our sudden disappearance. All we can do is keep running as their flabbergasted shouts to call us back rise up after us.


	23. Chapter 23: Family Ties

_We're in so much trouble._

When I ran outside of the Guild compound with Ri, I wasn't really thinking of anything except for finding Blue Gummis for Manaphy. And sure, everything went perfectly fine—one of Pidgey's fully evolved cousins was able to help us get to Craggy Coast and we found what we were looking without any problems—but now that we're headed on our way back, I can't help but grimace thinking of what Grovyle's going to do to us for running off like we did. _He'll be waiting for us, I know that much..._ And can see him now, standing at the entrance to the Guild with his arms folded over his chest: He'll be wearing that death glare of his that could carve through mountains.

 _We're in_ so _much trouble…_ I envelop my arms even tighter around Ri's abdomen where we sit on Pidgeot's back. Strange as it is for all that I've been through I actually like flying, but I can't enjoy the trip back from thinking over what's waiting for us at home. For travelling as far away as we did we're making great time; however, it's still already nightfall. That's a full day that we've been gone, and it's probably going to be passed curfew by the time we get back. Not that it matters to either of us, but that just means it'll be harder to sneak around.

I feel one of my partner's hands overlap my own, and he voices what I've been thinking for a while now. "We're in so much trouble…" he murmurs, "Grovyle's going to kill us—Well, _you'll_ be safe, but he's _still_ going to kill me!"

"Family has nothing to do with it: Both of us are dead." If I _really_ hunt through my memories, there are two moments where I know Grovyle had been particularly upset with me: The first was in the dark future and the other was in the future we corrected, in which I was supposed to be a trainer.

Even though the resistance headquarters was the safest possible place for me to be, I got to be pretty restless from staying cooped up in there. I was used to exploring the forests nearly every day with Grovyle, going on jobs to steal items from Primal Dialga's men right by his side. As dreary as the dark future was—with its stale air and overwhelming shadows—I wanted to be outside. That and I also wanted to know about the town we were in, which I had barely gotten a good look at when we first snuck into headquarters. I managed to sneak out one day and as far as any of us knew no one had spotted me, but I had never seen Grovyle look so upset as when I came back. Of course, now I know he had just been worried about me, but at the time I was a little scared of him. I don't think he ever spanked me or anything like that and there wasn't exactly much of anything he could take away from me, so I think he just gave me chores and told me I couldn't read as punishment, but really him yelling at me had been enough.

Then there's the corrected timeline: I don't know where we got that older brother-little sister relationship because he was a Treecko when we met then, but it was still there. Looking back, even I can admit that it was stupid, but for whatever reason I thought it would be a good idea for an untrained fourteen year-old to perform dangerous stunts for an additional wow-factor during a contest. I don't remember all of it: Just that it involved a witch costume, two metal rods, and a length of rope. I also remember that it didn't end well. Dusknoir caught me and Grovyle used the leaves on his arms to whack me in the back of the head after he made sure that I was ok.

The things I've been doing lately easily topple what I've done in the past and I know no level of kinship is going to save me. If anything, it's _because_ of our relationship that I know there's no chance of him letting me off easy.

"If Manaphy likes these, there's a chance he might like some Rindo or Wacan berries too," Ri offers as he holds up the bag of Blue Gummis, trying to steer the conversation away from the inevitable. "It wouldn't hurt to see about it when the Kecleon brother's get another shipment in."

I merely nod, sighing as I lean against him.

"I've been with you the entire time, so it's not like you two travelled alone," Pidgeot offers, turning his head slightly to cast us a brief glance.

"Yeah, but that's not how Grovyle will see it," I look down to the trees dotting the landscape below us. I can't mention that the Tree Gecko still has trouble trusting other Pokemon beyond our inner circle and a few other members of the Guild, or that he wouldn't rely on anyone to look after me if he didn't think they were strong enough to protect me. "He wouldn't have let us go if I hadn't, but we really didn't give him any warning that we were leaving."

He dips his head at that, "Well, I guess I have to agree with him to a point. Even with as much as the two of you have done, you're still a couple of kids."

"We're both seventeen," Ri counters.

"And you both still count as baby Pokemon," he retorts right back, "He knows you're not new to the world, but you've still got a bit of growing to do."

Neither of us can say he's entirely wrong there. I'm still kind of amazed by the fact that we're already graduates, even though it's been this long since our exam. And Grovyle… Is that what he still sees me as? Just some little girl?

Another hour or so passes before Treasure Town comes into view, and it's already so dark that the only way we can make it out from this high up are from the fires still burning late into the evening. On any other night we wouldn't have cared where the Flying-type stopped at, but we ask Pidgeot to go ahead and drop us off in front of the steps to the Guild. After all, we might as well get this over with…

And by the time we land, I find out I was wrong about Grovyle. He doesn't in front of the Guild: No, he's already waiting for us at the last step on the road. Not just him either, but Dusknoir, Celebi, and Manaphy as well. To say that the first two don't look pleased would be putting it lightly, but I'm almost glad for Celebi's presence. She gives us a faint, empathetic smile and holds up one of Manaphy's hand in a slight wave.

Grovyle and Dusknoir glare at us, but say nothing as we hop off of Pidgeot's back and he flies away no sooner than he landed. I'm not surprised as I can't imagine him wanting to be caught in the middle of the chaos to come. I brace myself, but they say nothing. The only one who does is Manaphy as he burbles and wriggles in Celebi's arms, his own stretched out toward us as we step forward.

"We found some Blue Gummis," Ri finally breaks the tension with an awkward shrug, holding up the bag.

Still nothing. In the pressing silence, my partner seems to cave. I take the bag from him and pour a single gummi into the palm of my hand. If there's going to be an argument, fine, but I'm feeding Manaphy and getting him to bed first. "Hey, little guy," I coo at him, offering him the treat, "Look what we got you. Yummy, huh?"

He gives a little happy squeal as he first sniffs it and then snatches it from me with both hands, nibbling at it as if it's the best thing he's eaten in his life and I smile because he _is_ eating. We're finally getting him to eat real food for a change. Whatever the risk, it was worth it just for this. The warmth of Ri's fingertips lacing with my own lets me know he thinks the same. We're both happy for our little guy.

It isn't at all long before he finishes the Blue Gummi and stretches out his hands for another. We foraged plenty, so we quickly offer him another one knowing we'll have enough to last awhile. And it's like Ri said, there's still a glance we can find other things he'd be willing to eat too. We can take care of him.

He giggles as he finishes his second gummi, and I notice a few flecks of it stuck to his chin. Cupping his cheek in my hand, I gently brush them away with my thumb and smile at him. He stretches out his hands again—not for the gummis this time, but for me. "Mama!"

And just like that my heart stops. It takes me a second or two to realize that, yes, he did just call me what I think he did. And by then, he's tilting his head and me curiously—no doubt wondering why I'm not responding—before turning to Ri next with the same beckoning motion and yelling "Dada!" to his stunned expression.

Some inner part of me is squealing with delight, but another part of me panics. I wouldn't care except we're _not really_ his parents! What are his real parents going to say if and when we find them?! How did he even pick up those words?! We've certainly never tried getting him to say them! And then realization hits me, and I shoot a look upward. _Celebi!_

Her sheepish look is the only answer I need. Arceus, we tried telling her before we left that we couldn't step in as his real parents for multiple reasons! What is she thinking?! I suppress my aura though and force a grin onto my face: I don't want the little guy thinking I'm upset with him.

"No, no, Manaphy," I chirrup, lightly patting his hand, "My name is Lira. Li-ra. Can you say it? What's my name?"

He stares up at me myopically before mumbling back, "Lila…"

"Close enough. And who am I?"

"Mama!"

I inwardly cringe. And now that he's gotten a reaction, I don't think he's going to stop calling us that anytime soon. He just giggles, chanting those two newfound baby words in a sing-song voice. A day. We were gone for a day and now this happens.

Dusknoir clears his throat, hovering a step closer with his stern gaze trained on my partner, "Ri, there will be a Psychic-type meeting with us tonight, concerning what we talked about before. She's able to read she's able to read into one's past lives and family history. Why don't you come with me and we'll wait for her arrival?"

The knot that's formed in my stomach tightens. I can see all too well where this is going. It's only confirmed as Celebi chooses that moment to excuse herself and dart off with Manaphy back to the Guild compound to get him to sleep. Ri nods to the ghost and follows him off in the other direction, but not before casting a glance back my way.

And then it's just Grovyle and me standing at the end of the stairs. I watch Ri's and Dusknoir's forms disappear around the edge of the crossroads, hear the seething rise of the latter's baritone as he begins to scold the former. _So they're going to drill us separately…_ I feel my tail fold between my legs and my ears droop back as I brace myself for Grovyle's own lecture.

However, rather than say anything, he sits upon the bottom step with a grunt, motions for me to take a seat beside him, and folds his arms across his chest. I only hesitate for a moment before doing so, and then I wait. I continue to wait for the berating I know I've got coming.

That is, until the silence eats away at me and I just can't take it anymore. "I know what I did was stupid…" I mumble, staring hard at the dirt at my feet.

"Mm-hmm." The noise is something of a cross between agreement and dismissal, but I feel a certain weight to it that pushes me to continue.

" _And_ I shouldn't have run off like I did. Even if it was for Manaphy, it wasn't any excuse to worry you."

"Hmm."

"Do you…" I sigh, batting my ear, "If you're mad, then please say something. I messed up, alright? I messed up, and I might be lucky just to still be here—and I don't think I can help it, ok? Because for over a year now I've been seeing and doing new things on my own. I'm used to jumping into action in an instant, not sitting around and waiting for things to get done. I see something I have to do and I don't think twice. I—!"

I feel a hand rest on top of my head. I look up to see Grovyle finally giving me a tired expression. "I know how you are," he breaks, "You're reckless, impulsive, stubborn. You've got as much of a troublesome streak in you as you do an adventurous one. You want to know everything. See everything. Save everyone. You're an impossible person. It would've saved me a lot of trouble if I had left you to the Sableye."

His words prick like needles in my heart and I look away once more. I was expecting him to say any of a lot of things, but not something as hurtful as that. I never really believed that he could…

But his hand remains on my head, and he rummages his fingers through my hair gently. "But I love you just the way you are," he continues, "Which is why I worry about you and why I'm angry with you. I promised myself I would protect you, but the older you get the more I realize I can't. No matter what I say or do, you'll just keep on getting into danger?"

"Because I'm a Guardian?"

"Because you're _you_ ," he corrects, finally taking away his hand and leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees, "and you're not the kind of person to duck your head at anything in this world. You're just going to keep getting into trouble, and keep fighting, and it won't matter if I'm there for you or not. I'm scared that the one moment I'm not there is the moment I'll lose you for good. I don't know what I'd do if that happened."

I don't even want to bring up all the danger I've faced without him—going after high-rank criminals, falling into the ocean in the middle of a massive storm, battle legendaries—but I do say, "Can't you trust that there are some times that I can look after myself though? I'm never going to stop needing you, but there are some things I can handle on my own." And before he can bring up what I can't, I add, "And someday _you're_ going to find somebody that you really care about—someone besides me. When that happens, you'll want to be there to stand by them."

"Maybe," Grovyle shifts in place to look back up the stairs leading to the Guild, "Even then though, they won't be able to replace you. No one can." At last we offer one another a faint smile. Mine evaporates as quickly as it comes, however, as his morphs into a smirk, "And already talked to Wigglytuff: Neither you nor Ri is allowed on missions until I say so."

And there's the punishment. I imagine there's a lot more to it to come tomorrow, but I expected this much in the very least. He stands, quietly offering to help me onto my own feet before we head off in the direction. Based on what Dusknoir said, I imagine the days to follow are going to be filled with intense training. He's probably going to be strict enough a teacher, but if Grovyle's involved in this too then neither of them are probably going to go easy on us.

The Psychic-type Dusknoir talked about is already there by the time Grovyle and I reach them: A Gothorita. She doesn't look to be much talked than Ri or myself and maybe only a few years older, but her most distinctive feature are her pair of vivid, violet eyes. _A shiny_ , I think, but that's not even what catches my attention the most.

It's the fact that she's practically clinging onto Ri. "And I just know you're from the mountains far up north, close the human territories," I hear her croon at him mid-conversation in a voice that's almost too high-pitched to be real, "Only Riolu from that area have your distinctive build and powerful aura signature."

I know I'm practically fuming as she turns her steady gaze my direction. Now, I'm not the jealous-type, but you better believe I can't ignore some random girl batting her eyelashes at _my_ partner and giving him less space than a Shellder on a Slowbro's tail. Type disadvantage or no, I will hold my ground against her.

"You must be that human that turned into a Pokemon!" Gothorita claps her hands together as she steps past Ri to walk over to me—and to his credit I feel a wave of relief pass over him as she does so. "You have no idea how badly I've wanted a chance like this when I heard about you! You're reading is _sure_ to be an interesting one."

"Yes, I'm Lira," I answer her blatantly, pointing over at Ri, "The girlfriend."

If she catches the obvious warning, she doesn't show it. Really, it doesn't seem like she cares at all as she looks me up and down, circling me. "This is amazing…" she hums to herself, seemingly having forgotten her flirtations from only a moment ago. "Your transformation is flawless!" she says this as if it were a genuine compliment rather than her talking about a freak accident, "Even getting a feel about you, if I had just passed you on the street I never would've guessed you were anything but just an ordinary Riolu—I mean, besides the obvious."

"The obvious?" I raise my brow at her, stupefied by her behavior. Just who exactly is she besides some random psychic that Dusknoir contacted?

Now she breaks into my personal bubble, lifting a few strands of my hair with her fingertips, "This is something new," she warbles, "You see all different types of variations, but I've never seen your species with locks like these. Then there's your clear, pedigree descendance."

I frown. He didn't word it like that, but I think Dusknoir told me something similar—which makes no sense. It can't be all that important because no one's ever mentioned it before or treated me differently as far as I'm aware. I can't help but wonder why it keeps being brought up. I can understand for the sake of learning certain moves and that's all. Still, the way the Manipulate Pokemon's acting it's almost like she reveres the fact. _Maybe because she's a shiny it's more important to her?_ I wonder, _or maybe she's just curious because I was a human._ Maybe it's both.

"Well then," she claps her hands again, "why don't we discuss things over a nice cup of tea and I can get a proper reading from the two of you? I'm _very_ eager to see what kind of lineages the world's saviors have!"


	24. Chapter 24: Lineage

So beyond being something of a flirt, Gothorita isn't shy at all about getting into anyone's personal space.

We opted against going to _Spinda's Café_ , so instead we're all clustered around one end of one of the tables in the mess hall. No one would mind since we're not bound by the curfew anymore, but even though this isn't the first time Ri and I have stayed up past it, it feels weird not having to sneak around. We even have a candle lit so we're not just sitting by the dim illumination of the moonlight filtering through the windows.

I'm not used to Dusknoir making tea for anyone besides himself and when he teaches Ri either. The first and only time he offered it to me personally was back before he kidnapped us and we found out he was working under Primal Dialga. I doubt he'd do it if it weren't for him being the only one who can make a good cup of it and for it being Gothorita's request. So I don't know what to think when a cup of lavender tea is set in front of me.

Out of all the weird feelings of the evening, however, the worst by far is the nakedness I feel when the psychic "reads us." It doesn't feel natural like when Ri and I check each other's auras: It feels invasive, like this stranger is reviewing every aspect of my entire life from my background to my innermost thoughts. Nevertheless I grit my teeth and bear with it, because Dusknoir has been pushing this so strongly and it doesn't seem as though Grovyle disagrees with him.

She doesn't have us do anything, so we all just sit in silence as she does her thing while drinking tea. Other than for the short seconds that either of us bring our cups to our lips, neither Ri or I move. I just want it done and over with as soon as possible.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little impatient. Pedigree: What could she possibly have meant by pedigree? From what I can tell, I'm not that much different from Ri. For me to have some of the moves I do—if it's not just all a fluke—I can't be a purebred Riolu. Ugh. What does it even matter since I was a human to begin with?!

From the beginning, I never really saw myself as being much different from Ri. We're both medium-long hairs. We both have similar builds. We both have strong aura signatures. If there's something that sets us apart, I don't see it.

"You're family travelled and trained quite a bit, didn't they?" Gothorita finally asks Ri, breaking through the quiet as she flits her eyes open, "There are certain moves that follow your lineage that can only be taught: Ice Punch, Drain Punch, and so on. Usually, only the one who learned it can bear it, but there are exceptions of offspring being more susceptible to those moves through proper breeding. As I said before your aura is powerful, as it should be considering where you're from. However, your ancestry is all over the place—not that I'm all that surprised, but there are all different types of Pokemon affecting your bloodline."

"Um…. Thank you?" my partner replies with some hesitation. Thanks for what? It didn't sound like much of a compliment… What could she expect though? Typically, there are far less female Lucario than males and it's not like they're going to cling to a guy just because they share the same species. Ri's parents are actually a bit of an odd pair, considering that.

"As for you, Lira," she all but purrs, a gleam in her stare like a scientist that's just made a major breakthrough in their work, "yours is far more interesting." I feel like something in a petri dish as she looks me over thoughtfully. "Vacuum Wave can be adopted by a Riolu through breeding is it's passed down to them from someone relatively close in their lineage—typically a Hitmonchan. However, with all of the other evidence, it's more likely that you're descended from a special group. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but the humans have a region that they call Sinnoh. It's only there that a Lucario can learn Vacuum Wave by themselves and pass it on to their offspring."

The mention of the region throws me. "My mother was from Sinnoh…" I say it aloud, but only to myself really. It's strange to think that of all places, of all regions that humans populate across the world, it's that one that she has to bring up. I only have vague memories of it myself, from briefly visiting it over my short career as a trainer, but I have no strong attachment to the place as far as I'm aware of. Mom though… She was born there, and I never thought about it before but that would mean that I must've had some extended family over there.

Gothorita's expression turns into an ear-splitting grin. "I thought so," she chirrups, "because there's something else special about the Sinnoh region. There's a village there, located deep within its mountains and known by mankind as the Lucario Kingdom."

"Lucario Kingdom?" I echo. I glance over at Ri, but I can tell he's never heard of the place either from his own confused look. It hardly even sounds real.

She gives us both a rapid nod of her head, as though excited by the story, "Of course I've never been, but word says it's pretty isolated. Similar to where Ri grew up, the aura is also supposed to be strong there, and besides humans and Lucario there aren't many other types of Pokemon that should live there. I don't know much beyond that. But according to your lineage, while your ancestors were also diverse, your direct bloodline is nothing _but_ Lucario. Well, except for your own father—just like what the ghost here theorized, if he had been a Pokemon he should've been a Lycanroc—but if it weren't for that you'd be perfect! It's probably why you picked up Aura Sphere like you did! There aren't many moves you _couldn't_ pick up! It's like your bloodline did it on purpose—and humans don't even have anything like that to pass down!"

There's _no way_ I can share in her enthusiasm though, and not just because of her speaking as though my father was a fault in my genetics. The whole of it is so messed up. People having kids together for the sake of their lineage? On purpose?! There's no way I can believe in something like that—definitely not to the extreme she's talking about. I remember glimpses of my parents. They loved each other, and they loved me. Nothing about them ever suggested that they cared about their descendance or mine.

They had even talked about how they worried whether or not I'd have a normal life because I could use aura. That's the only reason they ever even mentioned Sinnoh around me besides the fact that my mom came from there. In one of the flashbacks I saw thanks to the Dimensional Scream, they had been talking about sending me to a place called Iron Island to so I could learn how to control my aura.

Thinking about that though, why there? I mean, they talked about there being some kind of academy for aura users, but wouldn't it have been better if I had gone to this… Lucario Kingdom? I'd have family there anyway, but mom never once brought up the place. Many that just one of the things I can't remember still, but if not then why would she keep something like that a secret?

And if what Gothorita is saying is true, then that means my mother also could've been a Lucario if she was a Pokemon. For that she'd have to be a user of aura as well, and I know she never used it around me. If she could use it, then why didn't she in order to protect herself and Dad? _Mom, who were you…?_

"Typically the stronger the blood ties, the more likely it is for one's offspring to know certain moves," Gothorita explains to us, though I've been so caught up in my own haze of thoughts that I don't have any idea what was said beforehand, "Both Ri and Lira could try mastering Shadow Claw or High Jump Kick, but as for them individually Ri would probably be best practicing Metal Claw. It seems like he can readily learn Ground or Steel-type moves. Lira _could_ learn Bite, but her aura signature would make it harder for her to learn any Dark-type moves. She's actually fairly capable of learning Blaze Kick though."

I stand up. I never thought I'd see the day this would happen, but I don't want to hear anymore. Not now. Not until I can get my thoughts in order. Excusing myself, I make my way out of the mess hall and down the empty passages of the Guild to mine and Ri's room.

Why didn't I ever think of any of this before? I was orphaned, but surely there must've been _somebody_ who could've taken me in. But I don't remember having any aunts or uncles. That's fine—maybe they were both an only child like me—but what about grandparents? Where were they?

Manaphy's sound asleep when I enter our room, and Celebi's nowhere to be seen. She must've gone back to Sharpedo Bluff. Summoning a tiny Aura Sphere in the palm of my hand, I cross over to the opposite wall and begin shuffling through the stack of papers and books I had brought with me back from my own time. I haven't had a good look through them in a long while, but there has to be something I've missed. A letter from a distant relative. A photograph taken on a holiday. Anything.

But no matter how many times I look through them, it's pointless. My parents wrote a note under each and every one of the pictures, and none of them mention anything about any family except for us. The only other people in some of them are friends and neighbors. It's the same with the other things they've added in.

Something I do notice though is how incredibly few pictures there are of my parents when they were young. There are plenty of them when they were trainers, but beyond that there are very few of my father and _none_ of my mother. No baby pictures. Only a handful of my dad's school days, where it looks like he went to some kind of low-key, private academy.

It looks like they travelled everywhere together: Hoenn, Unova, Alola, the Decolore Islands—even Kalos when they were older… There's so little mention of Sinnoh though. My dad apparently made it all the way to the League there, but there are only a few newspaper clippings of my mom as a contest coordinator. She must've been just starting out.

There's nothing about the Lucario Kingdom she supposedly came from. There's nothing about where she came from at all. I don't think Gothorita could've been making all of that up though, as crazy as it is. I just don't know what to think…

The sound of our door opening and closing shut behind me lets me know that Ri's just walked in, but I keep my gaze on the stretch of papers splayed around me—even as he sits by my side. "I don't think I can say she was wrong about us," he murmurs softly after a moment's hesitation, "but all of that talk back there… That was pretty weird, right?"

I say nothing as I begin to put away the books and papers. He's trying to lighten the mood, but honestly I feel disheartened about the whole thing. I don't care about power—I've got enough going on trying to master aura and the Dimensional Scream—I just want to know about my family. Really, I'm just back to square one, aren't I? I'm still looking for answers.

"The more I find out about my parents, the less I think I know them…" I whisper, shaking my head. The pictures, my memories, the way others described them—the just don't fit with the kind of background Gothorita said I'm supposed to come from.

"Well, maybe there's a lot they didn't tell you because they never got around to it. You were pretty young when you lost them," he offers, reaching over to overlap my hand with his own.

That could be true, but it doesn't explain why I don't remember having grandparents or why there aren't any pictures of them. It doesn't explain why they didn't come for me after my parents were gone, because my parents so young when they had me that I don't think my grandparents could've been very old either. I would've thought I'd have been left to them—or at least in the future we saved.

"Your parents fell in love, didn't they, Ri?" I feel like I can't stop myself from asking that.

He scratches the back of his head with an awkward grin on his face, but his eyes shine with fond reminiscence. "Yeah… Dad said that he met my mom only after he came back from his time travelling with a human trainer. He was passing through my hometown, they met, and he ended up staying there." He chuckles a bit, "According to him, he got into a lot of battles with other Fighting-types trying to get her attention. That's when Mom challenged him to a battle herself. She told him that if he beat her, she'd go on a date with him."

"So he won?"

"Oh no, he _always_ lost," he chortles, drawing his knees to his chest with a smile of mirth, "but he didn't give up. It didn't matter how many times he got himself beaten to a pulp because he was determined to get to know her. Eventually Mom just gave in, but I'm pretty sure they already started liking each other because their battles."

"Nothing like a friendly beat down to stir the fires of romance," I snicker, earning myself a light, playful nudge in the arm.

"Speaking of fire… You with Blaze Kick, huh?" he teases me, "You've always been pretty fiery to start with. If it wasn't for you using aura, I wouldn't have been surprised if you had turned into a Fire-type instead. It's actually a little scary thinking of what you could do with that kind of move."

"Oh, don't start," I nudge him back, brushing my arm against his, "So what? You think it would've been better if I had turned into a Chimchar or a Torchic? Maybe a Vulpix?"

"Fitting? Yes," he shrugs, "Capable of causing massive amounts of collateral damage? Also yes."

We have a good laugh at that, careful to keep the noise down to avoid waking up Manaphy. Ri's got to be concerned about all of this a little too, knowing what he does about his own lineage now. People expect a lot from us to begin with and now this. In some ways though… Maybe this just means we're going to continue to grow. I kind of like the thought of that. Not knowing things, never really reaching your limits, it just means there's a lot left in the world for you to learn, and see, and do.

And for us, some of those things start tomorrow.

 _(( **Author's Note** : From what I've research, moves aren't supposed to be passed down if they've been learned from a move tutor, but back when I played Platinum I bred a Riolu that had gotten Vacuum Wave from the Lucario on my team. That generation is also the only one that I've seen where a Riolu/Lucario can learn Vacuum Wave rather than get it just through breeding, and apparently it's only in HG/SS that a Lucario can learn Ice Punch. This is why I have it where there are different Pokemon that can master different things based on their ancestry even if they're the same species. _  
_In my copy of Explorers of Sky I actually played as a Vuplix, so the reference to Lira possibly having been a Fire-type is a nod to that. The reason Lira was not a Fire-type is because I really wanted to work around the aspect of her being a user of aura. That and I love Riolu, haha! On a more serious note though, had she been a Vuplix, I would've run into the issue of her lifespan being incredibly longer than everyone else that she knew once she evolved. I headcanon that a Ninetails lifespan is strongly connected to their powers, and her having the Dimensional Scream meant that she would be among the Ninetails that would live for thousands of years—meaning that she would possibly even see the next generations of the Guardians of Light that would follow after her friends and family. It was really sad to think about, Lira being this sole survivor over all of her loved ones passing on without her, and so the idea was dropped.))_


	25. Chapter 25: Learn by Experience

"And did you see the way she tried to hug up to Grovyle?!" Celebi rants, swinging her arms wide in fiery exclamation, "'And with your build, you have to have some Garchomp in you, don't you? You're _so_ rugged!' What's that even supposed to mean?!"

I don't know what exactly happened since Ri and I had already returned to our room by the time she and the psychic apparently met: I can only make out just enough from her rant to understand the situation. I probably don't have the right to laugh, but it's admittedly a little funny to see her getting so worked up—even more so than I was when Gothorita was hovering around Ri. I now think she really just enjoyed flirting to try to get under all of our skin and she's long gone by now, but Celebi's still fuming over it.

The breakfast rush just ended and—while they'd never let me in the kitchen otherwise—I'm stuck on dishwasher duty. Even then while Chimecho normally wouldn't get started on meals for the few people who stick around for lunch, she's lingering on the opposite side of the room and glancing at me with careful eyes every now and again. Ever since the orange juice incident, they don't trust me in here by myself.

A point Celebi can't help but bring up as she stares down at my work in twin tubs that act as a sink. It's not human tech, but there's a nearby spring where I can fetch more water if I need it. Normally they'd give a _Water-type_ this kind of job, but that's just part of Grovyle's and Wigglytuff's instructions: Ri and I getting the most dull chores that we'd like the least. "Do you think you've got enough soap in there?" she quips sarcastically, "You're washing dishes, not a Wailord."

"At least they're clean…" I murmur dryly, stacking a clean platter onto its pile with the others.

"I think you've washed them so much, the soap's been leeched into the wood," she continues, immediately picking the plate up in her our hands, "We'll be tasting soap for a week with these… Haven't you had _any_ experience doing housework? I don't think you really did anything as a trainer, but didn't the resistance ever give you any chores?"

If I did, I don't remember it. It doesn't seem to be an ingrained trait of mine either. Apparently, if it has nothing to do with survival or from being a rebel, it has nothing to do with me. I remember that the resistance had people specifically assigned to handle our ration. And as for my experiences in the _other_ future, living in an orphanage and on the road as a trainer doesn't prepare you for much beyond working with Pokemon. "What do you expect? I was raised to fight and hunt down Time Gears, not be someone's housekeeper."

"You can use aura, follow and identify tracks, read dead languages, and battle legendaries… but you can't wash the dishes?"

"Can _you_?" I quip right back, "You were hiding in the woods for most of your life. I doubt you have many basic life skills either."

"At least I have a good excuse," she smirks. With that, she dunks the plate back into the rinse bin before I can stop her. This is taking long enough without her judging every single part of my work. It's a good thing Sunflora's looking after Manaphy for us today…

At least like this I can work _and_ have some time to my own thoughts. The talk about mine and Ri's lineages was a mess to say the least. It pulled a curtain away from a lot of things I hadn't questioned before and reminded me that there's still a lot that I'm missing from both my memories and about where I come from. I know enough, but I just don't feel… content. I can't pretend that I'm ok with missing any of the pieces of my past, no matter how small they are.

I turn my head toward the kitchen entryway at the sound of footsteps just in time to see Bidoof walk in. He spots us instantly and marches over, "Hate to bother you, Lira, but Dusknoir and Grovyle are looking for you. They want you to come to the training yard to practice for a while. Ri's already out there."

 _Saved by the Bidoof!_ I glance over at Chimecho from afar and share a brief nod with her before leaping up onto my feet from where I've been kneeling next to the tubs. Scooping up the rest of the dishes and setting them aside to clean later, I then try to shake the soap and water from my hands before darting off with Celebi right behind me. I'll take training over chores any day.

It only takes a few minutes to climb outside, into the fresh, clean air, and around the tent covering the compound's entryway. Just like Bidoof said, the rest of the team is already waiting for us. What I don't expect to find is an extra trio of familiar faces standing with them.

A wave of mixed feelings between disgust and nonchalance washes over me when I spot Team Salacious. After what happened at Brine Cave nearly a year ago, they haven't been bothering us—or anyone else, from what we know. Still, a one-time truce isn't going to make up for all the grief they've put us through. So on one hand I really don't care, but on the other I'm not very forgiving. "What are you three doing here?" I manage to ask in an even tone.

"They're here to help you both with your training," Dusknoir answers for them without missing a beat, "In return, Grovyle and I have promised to do what we can to convince Wigglytuff to reinstate them in the Guild."

It looks like they've already gone over this with Ri, but I can't tell whether he's happy with it or not since he's keeping a pretty straight face. He's probably not, and I can't blame him. They were jerks to a lot of people and, unfortunately, Wigglytuff's so forgiving that he probably would let them rejoin if they faked being sorry well enough. Not of it would mean they've actually changed though. On top of that the thought never once crossed my mind to ask them for anything, so the idea of training with them makes me cringe.

"From what I've observed," he continues, "You both appear to draw out the best of your abilities in an actual combat or survival situation. We can't mimic that sense of danger, so I imagined that a little bit of rivalry would have to suffice."

'A bit of rivalry' would be having us spar with some of our guild mates: This is more like trapping a Seviper and a Zangoose in a room together and hoping for the best. "I thought you were going to try teaching us a Dark or Ghost-type move yourself," I press, crossing my arms over my chest.

"There aren't any Fire-types around that could help you with Blaze Kick," he counters, "Skuntank at least knows Flamethrower, not to mention Bite, and so he's the best substitute for the time being. I think you can afford to set your stubborn attitude aside for a while to learn something."

The leader of Team Salacious gives me a confident sneer at that and I shoot a glare right back at him. I'm pretty sure Dusknoir and Grovyle both scared him and his two goons into this, so he shouldn't have anything to look so smug about. He might've had a small change of heart when he gave Ri his Relic Fragment back, but I won't put it beneath him to try some dirty trick again either.

Ri doesn't say anything to that either, although I have no idea what might've been said before Celebi ad I got here. From what I can tell, he's not any fonder of this than I am. A firm silence lingers in the air before Dusknoir's shoulders fall in an expression of a sigh, "Fine. If you'll do this I'll see to it that you won't have to do some of the work Grovyle saddled you both with, would that suffice?"

To this, the Tree Gecko glares at the Ghost-type and opens his mouth to voice against him just as Celebi places a hand on his shoulder. "It would be a saving grace for everyone, my dear Grovyle," she mutters, "Trust me."

My eyes narrow at her—I get it; I'm not good with housework—but I can't say I'm easily going to decline the bargain. I look over at Ri once more. Even though he's better at those kinds of things than I am, I know there are plenty of other things he'd much rather be doing. We still won't be given a pass to run off on missions just yet, but at least we'll be able to occupy our time under house arrest doing something we actually enjoy.

Then I look over at Team Salacious, who are smart enough to at least keep their mouths shut even though they look like they're enjoying the spat. I don't know if I could ever call them our friends, but I guess I'd be a hypocrite not to give them a second chance when I gave Dusknoir one. And they didn't really have to help out with this. _Not to mention if we're going to spar we might finally see who's tougher than who…_ That last argument appeals to me most since we've never had the chance to fight them on even ground.

Now it's my turn to sigh in exasperation, "If that's what it'll take to get me out of dish-duty, then I guess I'm in."

Ri gives a single nod at that, "I'll take training over chores any day."

"Then it's settled," Dusknoir quickly replies, as though afraid we'll find a way to back out of this. He then claps his hands together and continues, "Alright! Lira, I want you to face off against Skuntank. Ri, with Koffing and Zubat. Lira I want you to use Copycat to mimic Skuntank's Flamethrower or Bite to get a feel for those types of moves. As for you, Ri, I want you to focus on using Bone Rush to repel the attacks sent your way. You tend to use it with a stronger focus on your aura as the strongest foundation of the attack, but since it's a Ground-type move I want you to use it with a stronger focus on that energy coming from the earth itself. It should prepare you for learning an Iron-type move such as Metal Claw."

With that, Ri and I split apart to face our opponents. I should probably worry about him facing _both_ Zubat and Koffing alone, but they're not all that strong so I know he can handle it. He's not the same person he was that always resigned himself to being bullied. He'll be fine.

What I need to worry about is my own matchup against Skuntank since he's the wild card. Not even Ri knows what the Skunk Pokemon is capable of in a fight. I caught a glimpse of his brute strength from when he knocked down all of those Perfect Apples last year, but that was it. I know I've faced worse a thousand times over, but I still want to be careful.

From the corner of my eye, I see Ri some ways to my left summoning his staff. Some ways farther to the side, Celebi and Grovyle are taking a seat at the edge of the patch of earth that makes up the training field. That's the last glance I give them as I face off with Skuntank about five meters in front of me. He's still wearing the same, smug grin on his face too…

"I hear that you've gone and got yourself a kid now," he chuckles, "I didn't realize that people were letting babies take care of other babies. Tell me, are you finally considering quitting the Guild and turning to a family life?"

I hold my arms out in a taunting, beckoning gesture, "Funny, but we'll see who's laughing after I'm done knocking you for a loop."

To my surprise, his grin only gets wider at that. It's not a wicked one though, it's more like he's just amused by the whole thing. And to my even greater shock, I find myself grinning back. Maybe, to a small degree, things have changed.

I don't have to remind myself that it's only to a _small_ degree as a blast of fire is hurtled my way as he uses Flamethrower without any further warning. If I weren't busy rolling out of the way to narrowly avoid getting roasted, maybe I could admire the strength and technique behind the attack. Not only is it powerful, but somehow he manages to get it to spiral—making it harder to dodge. It's obvious he's mastered it carefully and that he's leagues above his teammates.

Dust skids up around me in its own spiral as I quickly regain my footing. I have to remind myself that this isn't a typical fight so I don't just jump into any kind of attack I feel like out of instinct. A vivid red light surrounds me as I use Copycat and the split-second play-by-play begins. There's a searing heat that threatens to burn me from the inside out, a blossom of fire that emerges from my core. It's so intense that for a moment it feels like my lungs are weighted and I can't breathe. Beneath all of that though there's passion. Determination. I feel the sensation taking over me and then travelling upward.

However, where the flame emerged from Skuntank's mouth, I feel the flames lick at my fingertips. Thanks to this I end up not being able to aim the attack right, so I end up creating a long scorch mark on the earth before I can shift my aim over at the Skunk Pokemon. He already knows it's coming from the blunder and easily dodges it.

I grimace, but I hear Dusknoir murmuring to himself. "Interesting… Even when using Copycat, Lira uses the move more like a Braixen or Delphfox would as opposed to a quadruped. The body still affects the execution of the attack…"

So long as it doesn't throw me off my aim again, I don't care about a minor thing like that. I'll just have to adjust. But this feeling in my chest… I clamp a hand over my heart. Maybe an actual Fire-type would like that sort of thing, but is it this was for them every time they use one of their attacks? It's like one way or another it could consume you.

"Pretty overwhelming the first time, huh?" Skuntank smirks, "Fire-types usually take baby steps before getting to the big moves, but my kind can jump on it fresh out of evolution."

"If every member of your species has the same explosive personality that you do, I can see why…" His boasting never got to me before: Why would it now?

After those words have left my mouth, he doesn't waste another second to use Flamethrower a second time. I start to use Copycat again in turn, but he quickly charges through the flames to follow up with Bite. He lunges for me with his teeth digging into the flesh of my arm and I hold back a wince of pain as I struggle to keep from being knocked over.

Copycat ends up mimicking his last attack instead and a wave of a shadowy hue falls over me. It's not the first and definitely won't be the last time I use it to mimic a Dark-type move, but I don't really like it. I think I'm starting to figure out part of why too. I recognize the feeling of drawing from the world's stores of negative energy and it reminds me all too much of what the Dark Future was like. Nowhere near to that omnipresent extreme, but enough to summon up some bad feelings and memories with it. It's like a taste of that world again. Worse, it's like I'm relying on the same powers so many of the corrupted Pokemon in that time did.

With that, the energy around me fades even though I still _feel_ it. I feel it being channeled through me as a growl reverberates from my throat and I crane my neck to latch my canines into the unprotected layer of flesh right below where his shoulder and collarbone meet. His jaws snap open in surprise, enough so for me to free my arm and break away from him. I create some distance by rounding over to my right and shuffling back.

It didn't feel like that attack was all that powerful, so I guess Gothorita was right about how hard it would be for me to master it. At least it doesn't feel like it's taking just as much out of me as it should my opponent like the first one. That's probably the _only_ redeeming thing about it.

I'm actually prepared when the next course of flames is launched my way, jumping up to return the fire from a better vantage without getting caught in a cross of infernos. Flamethrower is such a powerful move that I still feel a broiling, heavy weight in my chest even as I brace myself for it though.

 _I've been told more than once that I play with fire,_ I land back on my feet and Skunktank backs away from the flames, _but I don't think anyone ever thought that literally._ With what little we've done with it, a thin layer of sweat has nevertheless already begun to form at my temple. We might as well be sparring inside of a furnace.

But there's not a chance either of us our letting up. Because what Dusknoir forgot about the kind of rivalries people like us get into is that none of us are willing to quit easily—even when beyond exhaustion and with a Pokemon twice our size ordering us to stop.


	26. Chapter 26: An Outing

The days continue, turning into one week, then two, then nearly three. Coached by Dusknoir and Grovyle, our training sessions are actually going well despite how often Ri and I come close to turning our spars with Team Salacious into actual fights. It's hard since we have to work out of our comfort zone with the moves we're trying to learn, but in the very least we finally get to match off with Zubat, Koffing, and Skuntank without their stupid noxious gas combo. We can finally see which of us truly is the toughest team.

It's not like it's the same as a real fight since we're limited to the constraining rules Dusknoir gives us, and it's not a win or lose thing… but I think we're winning. I haven't been keeping track of it, but they typically walk off of the training field a little stiffer than we do.

Dusknoir holds true on his promise so we do get more time to ourselves, but since we're still not allowed to go behind the areas surrounding Treasure Town just yet we usually just spend our hours practicing together. And when we're not doing that, we're spending time with Manaphy.

I know that baby Pokemon develop faster than human infants, but it's still amazing to see how much he's already grown in such a short time. He's toddling, his vocabulary keeps growing, and he's always trying to explore new things. I'd like to think that he might end up an actual explorer like all of us here at the Guild—like Ri and me.

Strangely enough, things are actually looking pretty good right now: We haven't had any issues at all since Blizzard Island and I haven't even had a single nightmare or vision in the longest time. The Dimensional Scream can show me anything, yes, but when it usually activates is when something terrible is happening. With that in mind, I can take no news as good news.

The only trouble there has been is that we still haven't received any word about any family Manaphy might have. According to all the research we've done about him, even Wigglytuff is beginning to say that chances are we won't find them. I can't imagine that, but all the same… I love our little guy, and I'm beginning to think that maybe—just maybe—he could really be a part of our family…

It's not that I ever wanted to have a kid this young—before Ri, there wasn't anyone for me to even consider starting a family with—but Manaphy's already self-proclaimed us his mom and dad. There's no backing out of it even if we wanted to. We're his parents now. As I look to Ri and Manaphy where they sit a meter away from each other on the Guild's second floor, watching as they roll a cloth ball back and forth, I smile fondly.

Even Ri. I don't think he ever expected anything like this either, but he really is a great dad. The way he looks at Manaphy, and holds him, and plays with him… He's so happy whenever the little guy finds something new and does his best to teach him with a proud twinkle in his eyes. I can only love them both all the more for it.

"I swear, you're the only one who can keep him still," I shake my head with a grin, a pencil in my hand as I finish up the last details to a sketch of Manaphy in our journal. Even if he wasn't a rare Pokemon, I still want to document everything that happened and it's not as if we have a camera. So drawings it is.

He pauses to cast me a glance before catching the ball as it's passed onto him and sending it off toward the little guy again, "Well, he's not been as all over the place as usual either. Then again, he hasn't really seen much outside of the Guild. He might finally be getting used to everything here."

I nod. Since he does like to run around a bunch, we haven't taken him to town just yet. The further into summer we go, the busier the streets will become: We'd hate to lose him in a crowd. Enough people from town have come here to see him though that maybe we should. There'd be enough familiar faces. "If he's going to live with us, maybe it's time we took him to town with us. If we ever need a babysitter, at least he'll already know anyone we'd leave him with."

My partner smirks knowingly at that. Of course we'll need one eventually: We can't bring a baby out on the job with us and we can't just worry the rest of the Guild by always leaving him here.

"I'm not sure if everything you're doing is a good idea," a familiar voice sighs from behind me. As a trio, we look to see Chatot hopping over to us. He gestures at Manaphy with one of his wings, "This child is a Pokemon that normally would grow in the sea. This environment is obviously unlike it. Add to that, we know next to nothing about his species… Who knows what could happen."

"But it wouldn't be safe to just return the little guy to the sea," Ri objects, "We can look after him until he gets a bit bigger."

I frown. I'm worried over what Chatot is saying, but it's like Ri said: It's not like we can just toss him back. There's no way we would anyhow. "We always make sure that he stays hydrated, Chatot," I press, "and that there's always someone to mind him. We've also been recording all we learn about him down here." With that, I flip the book around in my hands to show him to finished sketch and summary.

"You have nothing to worry about. You can count on us!"

"Goomi! Goomi!" the baby suddenly cheers, calling himself to attention. 'Goomi' is his word for gummi. I readily take a Blue Gummi out from our bag and hand it off to him. He squeals, taking it in both hands as he usually does and nibbling on it. I then shoot Chatot a pointed look.

"He's got quite the appetite, our little Manaphy," Ri chuckles, scooting closer to pat him on the head. "Is it tasty?" he begins before falling into his own version of baby-talk to simplify his words, "Er… Goomi tasty?"

He blinks up at my partner, testing out the word on his own lips, "Tasty?"

"That's right! Tasty?"

"Tasty! Goomi tasty!" Manaphy answers in a sing-song voice before returning to his snack. The two of us can't help but laugh at how cute he is. And it looks like he's got another word to add to his vocabulary now too.

"Ha! The little guy's going to grow up in no time at this pace!"

Chatot looks over us all once more before giving a resigned shake of his head. "Fine, if you insist… Just be sure to let me know if anything does happen." With that, he lifts off the ground and flies somewhere else within the Guild.

It's usually impossible to reason with the Flying-type, so I'm a little surprised that he's letting this go so easily. Happy, but surprised. If he, of all people, is fine with us keeping Manaphy then surely we'll be able to raise him alright. I look over at the little guy as he yawns after finishing off the treat, stretching his body to lay over his toy.

"Chatot does make a good point," Ri murmurs, rising onto his feet, "He doesn't really do much besides eat and sleep most of the time: It doesn't seem healthy enough…" He continues to ponder in silence before his grin widens, "I know! Let's take the little guy for a walk at the beach!"

"That's a great idea, Ri," I beam at him, closing the journal and stowing it away within our bag. I take his paw as he offers to help me onto my own feet, my tail beating the air in a rhythmic manner. The fresh, open air is bound to do him some good and he hasn't once seen the ocean since he hatched. I know he'll love the sight of the ocean.

The baby quickly picks up on that we're going somewhere and, cradling the ball to his chest, shuffles up to levitate in the air. "Walk! Walk!" he fusses, "Mama, dada, _walk!_ "

I gently take one of his tiny hands in my own, and smile down at him, "That's right, Manaphy: We're going for a walk." I think that for a second he thought we were going to leave him, but soon he grins back up at us and lets us lead him forward. He eventually murmurs with some discontent and shoots Ri a look until my partner takes the ball and holds it under his arm while holding Manaphy's other hand. We have to break away as we wind up the ladders leading to the surface, but for the most part this is how we travel to the strip of beach the short distance away from town.

It's amazing just how quickly his mood changes once we step out into the midday sun, and his expression only brightens even more once we're past the crossroads. This is the farthest the little guy has ever gone with us and the familiar scenery must be like a whole new world to him.

Ri and I give each other a look in silent conversation as we three make our way down the sloped path leading to the beach side, then in unison raise our arms to begin swinging Manaphy back and forth. The action catches him off-guard at first, but soon enough he's laughing gleefully in-between us and rocking himself to our motions.

A few minutes later, we're setting him back on the ground just behind the rocks that hide the shore from the main path. In just a few more steps we can see the water—even now, we can both hear the roar of the waves as they roll along the sands—but it'll be a surprise for the little guy: We want to see his face when he sees it. Jogging forward, Ri spins on his heels to look back at us and calls out, "Come on, Manaphy, over here," with a beckoning gesture.

I sprint the short way next to him as Manaphy stares at us both curiously, and then timidly looks at his surroundings as he lags behind us. We move backwards, making sure that we don't step too far away from him as we lead him closer to the ocean. Then, stepping out of the shade of the rocks, he turns his head toward his right and his mouth falls agape. The few seconds of astonishment alone is worth the trip down here, but I feel my heart leap in my chest with joy as he immeadiately darts toward the edge of the water and coos in excitement. "Kyakya! Kyakya!"

I beam at him. He loves it: Of course he loves it! I don't know what Chatot was talking about, saying this place wasn't right for Manaphy. We have a beach right here, so he can play in the water as much as he likes. We can bring him here as often as possible.

I look around to find that we're completely alone. It's fine since it means we'll have the entire beach to ourselves, but I have to wonder where Lapras is. She usually sticks close-by in case we need her help to travel anywhere, but today she's nowhere in sight. _Well, it's not like she can stay around here all the time,_ I muse. She might devote herself to Ri since he acts as a gatekeeper to the Hidden Land, but she's got her own life to live as well. I know I'd hate just waiting around to ferry people everywhere.

"Manaphy, this is the sea," Ri explains, stepping closer to the water to kick up the waves as they draw closer to us, "Sea…"

"Sea?" he peers back curiously.

"That's right, sea," Ri nods, pointing to the water now, "That's where you came from."

"Sea! Sea!" he cheers with a wide smile, bubbling gleefully. He darts forward to circle around Ri and I, "Dada! Mama! Sea! Sea!" Settling back down by the sad, he mimics Ri by splashing around in the shallows of the waves. Once they draw back he chases after them, and as they roll toward us once again he runs away a step before stopping to play in them.

"Ha, Lira," my partner chortles, "Manaphy's really happy. It's great we brought him down to the beach."

"Sea! Sea!" the baby continues to exclaim. Ri and I head in after him—dropping off the ball and Treasure Bag on a dry piece of sand—as he goes a little deeper into the ocean. The water is cold from it still being a little too early in the year to fully enjoy it, but it's still nice enough to swim in. I hum with content as the waves lap at my ankles. That is, until a spray of water washes over me from me left.

I turn my head to see Ri laughing with his hands ducked beneath the surface of the sea. He gives me another quick splash before darting away a bit to get out of my reach before I can return the flavor. "Oh no, you don't get to get away that easily!" I call after him with a grin of mischief, chasing after him and using the length of my arm to knock a wide spray of water back in his direction.

I guess he slides on a smooth rock along the ocean floor, because as he tries to dodge it he slips and fumbles back in the water—dunking everything under except for his head. Even that minor save proves pointless another wave crashes over him and he's left sputtering salt water.

As I stand there laughing, Manaphy—apparently not wanting to be left out—dives within the shallow water and swims around us to Ri's side. I guess it's instinct that he can move about so easily in the ocean, because it's not like he could get much practice from swimming around in the tub in our room.

The laughter dies in my throat when I spot the little guy copying Ri's stance, one in preparation to lunge forward. "Ok, Manaphy…" he warbles to him softly, "Get ready to tackle mama!"

"Ri, no, you are teaching our child wrong!" But he's already sprinted forward by the time the sentence passes my lips and he jumps on me, knocking me back into the water with faint squeal. Over the loud splash of the water as I'm dunked under, I hear the little guy mimic a canine growl that he must've heard either of us make during one of the days when we were training and brought him along. Then there's an additional weight as he piles on top of the both of us.

Ri and I both end up spitting salt water, and now we're both soaked to the bone with Manaphy resting in our arms. Despite it all, neither of us can help but laugh at ourselves with the baby joining in not a second after. Soon enough, we just keep slashing one another back and forth in the water.

The hours pass us by as the day shifts into the afternoon and later evening. We play in the waves. We gather shells. We make a large, poorly fashioned sand-castle that just caves in on one side once we're done with it. We get covered with sand so badly that we end up having to run into the sea again to wash ourselves off.

It's so late that we miss dinner with the rest of the Guild and end up finishing the evening with a light dinner at Spinda's. By the time we're done with our little adventure and step back into our quarters, the sun has already gone down and Manaphy has already fallen asleep in my arms. It's nothing to us, but I'm sure that today was enough adventure of him to last a little while. He doesn't even react as I lay him down on the hay.

I say that, but we're both a little tired too and end up turning in early. We really were playing nonstop today, so I guess we wore ourselves out without realizing it. All I can say is that, by the time I lay down, my eyes flutter shut almost instantly and I fall into a fitful rest.

It turns out I need that sleep come morning when I wake up to find that Manaphy's not lying in the middle of us as usual or even laying in his own bed. Instead, the door to our quarters has been left wide open.


	27. Chapter 27: High Fever

Our shock is quickly overwhelmed by panic as Ri and I scramble onto our feet and double check the room. It's pointless though: There's nowhere that Manaphy could've gone—nowhere but outside. I try to maintain some semblance of calm. The Guild compound is huge, but there are friendly faces everywhere: The little guy should be fine. I try to tell myself this, but the way my heart rages in my chest is enough of a sign that it's not a very convincing thought. He always sticks close to us or whoever is watching after him: He's never done anything like this before!

A wave of horror passes over me from Ri's aura signature and I know he's in no better a state than I am. We both have to be radiating it right now and the feeling is well beyond our ability to control. It even starts to affect other people. No sooner as we raced into the hall do I see Dusknoir come charging out of his room with a wide swing of the door, followed by our guild mates as they shuffle sleepily from their own quarters a minute later.

I doubt most—if any—of them have ever experienced anything like this, but Dusknoir clearly knows what it is right off the bat and zips straight over to us. "What's wrong? What happened?!" he demands, his voice rising to a shout.

"Manaphy's missing!" Ri explains urgently, "We woke up and he wasn't in the room with us! We have to look for him!"

Whatever sleep still lingered in everyone's eyes from the early wake-up call is lost as he says this, the others crying out in shock. We've been the ones taking care of Manaphy, but they've all acted like an extended family to him. As grateful as I am to see Sunflora and Chimecho move to sprint into action, I feel a nerve flare to life that I never knew existed as Dusknoir instead seems to recompose himself at my partner's words. "There's no point to getting worked up," he dismisses, turning to our friends to try to get everyone else to calm down as well, "Manaphy's only an infant, so he couldn't have gone far."

"Who couldn't have gone where?" I look around the Ghost-type to see Chatot appear from the other side of the hallway. I don't know whether we woke him up by accident too or not, but he seems oblivious to what's going on as he steps closer. "Ah, Team Crusade. I was just on my way to see how Manaphy is doing. I trust he's doing well?"

I cringe at that. After our talk yesterday, Chatot's the last person that I'd want to find out what's happened, but for the time being I don't care. I just want to find the little guy! Who knows where he could've run off to or the kind of trouble he could be in!

"Th-there's trouble!" my partners stammers, "It's Manaphy… Manaphy disappeared!"

The panic resumes as the Flying-type's feathers ruffle with horror, "Wh-what?!" he screams, "Didn't I tell you two to take proper care of that baby?! Didn't I?!"

I cup my head in my hand. Normally, I couldn't care less for his berating, but the thing is… He's right. _We_ lost Manaphy. _We_ should've been keeping a better eye on him. If we had, then maybe he wouldn't have been able to have snuck away. We should have locked the door to our room. We should've been checking on him during the night. We should've… Should've…

My breath catches in my throat as a soft _hic_ leaves me and my body begins to tremble. We have to find him. _Arceus, we have to find him…_ He's just a baby: He can't make it on his own if something happens.

Chatot takes a long look at the both of us before drawing out a deep sigh and calming himself down. "I'll look too!" he states readily, and then repeats back what Dusknoir just told us, "Manaphy's still a toddler. That baby couldn't have gotten too far. I'll look through the Guild! You two search outside!"

Words of agreement ripple around us as the others shout off places to check back and forth, but Dusknoir raises a hand to silence everyone before any of us can begin the search. "I think we're forgetting the both Ri and Lira are capable of using aura," he deadpans, "So long as they can sense Manaphy nearby, there's no use for causing any further unnecessary panic."

Above everything, that small piece of logic is the only thing that snaps some sense into me enough to calm my nerves. I look up at him. I can only hope that we'll be able to use it anyway since we haven't evolved. I was able to find Ri once thanks to our aura, but that's because he used his own like a beacon to help me. Manaphy can't do that. Still, our aura is what led us to him in the first place and we have to try.

My partner's fingers slip between my own. We'll find him. We have to. After giving him a determined nod, I squeeze his hand, close my eyes, and try to clear my mind. Soon enough, my aura sensors rise and I feel a pulse right next to me coming from Ri.

The dark world around me falls into a fuzzy haze of shapes in various shades of blue. I can make out the eleven distinct figures of our guild mates surrounding us. Beyond them, going down the hall and into the Guild's second main floor, I sense the Guildmaster in his chambers lying on his own bed of hay restlessly. When I stretch my perception beyond that, however, I can't find Manaphy's signature anywhere within the compound. My heart begins to thud heavily once more, but I feel Ri clench my hand tighter in his own. We have to look a little more.

Outside the Guild and near the crossroads, I can just make out three unidentifiable figures somewhere underground. It must be Spinda, Wobbuffet, and Wynaut getting the café ready for the day. Most of the figures in town are just as barely distinguishable as they are, so it would only be guesswork trying to comb through all of them. Finally though, reaching close to the end of my limited radar, I can make out a bright, new, and familiar signature of Manaphy's aura.

"The beach…" Ri and I both voice in near unison, and just like that we take off to race for the shoreline. It makes sense. Manaphy loved seeing it, so be must've wanted to play by the ocean some more. Relief doesn't even sink in for me as our feet touch the sand and I see the little guy standing next to the water—looking over the waves as they roll toward him.

"Hey! Manaphy!" my partner cries out, panting from the non-stop run. I've never seen him look this upset before, not since I was in the future. The look in his eyes shows a mix of affection and anger not unlike the ones Grovyle's given us. We skid to a halt as we reach the little guy's side and I frantically look him over for injuries as Ri continues to scold him, "Manaphy! You had us worried! Why did you come here by yourself?!"

But he doesn't answer. He doesn't even seem to register that we're here. He just continues to look out on the water as a lead weight forms in the pit of my stomach. I move to his side and take him by the shoulder, peering into the eyes to find them glazed over as he stares out to sea.

"Hey, Manaphy," Ri's catching on to how off all of this is too, enough for his anger to ebb away as quickly as it came, "…Manaphy? What's the matter?"

Taking another look at his aura, I notice something that I didn't when I was in such a hurry to try and reach him. As I said, his aura is as bright and new as always, but it's weak. It's like looking at a faint, distant star.

Then, before either of us even realize what's happening, the feeling of Manaphy's shoulder against my touch drifts away. It's like I'm watching what happens in slow motion and I can't react, our child's eyes fluttering shut as he collapses on the sand right in front of us. A scream tears from my throat at the same instant that Ri cries out his name.

I don't know what I'm doing—I have no idea what's wrong or what I should do for him—but I cradle him in my arms and draw him to my chest as Ri falls beside me and presses a hand against Manaphy's forehead. His face contorts with distress, "Trouble, Lira! He's running a high fever!"

But why?! He was just fine yesterday! He was laughing and playing just as he always does! There weren't any signs at all of him getting sick and we did everything we could. We made sure he was getting enough to eat, we made sure that he stayed hydrated, and we watched after him constantly to make sure that he didn't get into anything dangerous. How could this happen so suddenly?!

"Manaphy! Manaphy, hang on!" Ri tries to rouse him, but it's pointless.

I can't move. My legs won't do what I tell them to, to run and get help because I don't know how! What do we do?!

"Lira! Ri!" My head snaps up to see Grovyle and Celebi charging toward us at a breakneck pace. They must've felt our aura and came to see what was wrong, just like the others did.

"Grovyle! Grovyle, it's Manaphy! Help!" I curve my body forward, as if somehow I could absorb the sickness burning our baby up from the inside. "Please help…"

* * *

We've taken Manaphy to our base at Sharpedo Bluff. We're all here—even Dusknoir—and many of the Guild's members are waiting outside right now for us to give them an update on his condition. We had Chansey check on him, but not even she could figure out what was wrong.

I pace the floor with my arms folded across my chest. He just looks so small and weak right now, laying on a bed of hay and gulping down breaths of air. We've got a wet rag folded on his head and a bowl of mashed Rawst berries for when he wakes up, but beyond that none of us know what more we can do for him. This is just one thing that none of us can protect him from…

"Oh no…" Ri murmurs as he checks his head a second time, and I can only assume based on his reaction that the fever hasn't gone down at all, "What should we do?"

All of a sudden there's the sound of someone coming down the stairs. All five of us react instantaneously, but it's only Chatot. His eyes widen into near perfect circles as he takes in the scene, but all he can manage to say is, "You found Manaphy!"

"Chatot! Manaphy is…" but my partner can't even manage to finish his sentence. I feel a lump form in my own throat and back a step into Grovyle, who envelops his arms around me in a steadying embrace.

We watch on as Chatot walks over to the little guy to figure the matter out for himself, but all it takes is for him to barely hold the tip of his wing above Manaphy's head to see what's wrong. "My goodness! He's running a frightful fever!"

"We know… We found him standing on the beach," Ri explains despairingly, "Then he toppled over."

"His illness must be caused by being in the wrong environment. Just as I thought, Manaphy is a Pokemon that needs to grow in the sea. Our environment is simply, entirely unlike it. That's why this infant is ill."

"So it's our fault that Manaphy is…"

I bury myself deeper into Grovyle's arms. I should say something. I should _do something._ However, all I can manage to do is stand there in silence. I'm not a healer and I don't even know if our powers as a Guardian of Light would work even if we could summon them. I feel so useless…

"Well, as things stand, remorse and regret won't help now," Chatot murmurs, his expression turning gravely serious, "We need to focus solely on curing Manaphy's illness."

"But how do we go about curing him?"

"I-I know Heal Bell," Celebi offers with a timid raise of her hand as she flutters over, "Do you think that would work?"

Grovyle, however, shakes his head solemnly, "That move is perfect for curing status conditions, but this doesn't even appear to be a common disease. It's something else entirely."

I finally manage to speak up, "Is there any way that Ri and I… Could we transfer some of our aura over to him to help him recover?"

"That would likely only be a temporary solution," Dusknoir retorts, "He would gain back some of his energy, but it wouldn't cure him."

"Here's something I've heard…" Chatot offers after a moment's thought, "According to the Pokemon living in the sea, it seems that there is a cure-all item known as Phione Dew. That may be what it takes to cure Manaphy's illness. There are Pokemon called Phione that drift along the sea and are said to produce it. I believe they live in an area to the west called the Miracle Sea."

Whoever goes will need to get Azurill or some other Pokemon to use Soak on them. It would probably be easiest to send a Water-type to do the job, but even knowing Corphish like we do I just don't know if he'd be able to get the medicine fast enough. Really, I don't trust anyone with a job this important besides the few of us on our team. I look over at Manaphy… The thing is I don't really want to leave his side either. He needs us to be here with him.

As if reading my train of thought, Grovyle slips his arms away from me, "I'll go," he volunteers himself, "I can't say I'm found of open waters, but I'll have the type advantage."

"I suppose I'll go as well," Dusknoir sighs, folding his arms together, "Those waters are as good as uncharted and I know Thunder Punch. You'll need me to help navigate and act as backup."

I give them both a small, tired smile, but it quickly evaporates as I then turn my gaze over to Ri who's remained oddly quiet. I've never known him _not_ to leap on something like this, and with Manaphy's life being at stake I would've thought that he'd be the first to volunteer.

He surprises me further when he reaches up around his neck and unties the Relic Fragment that he always keeps with him. He holds it out toward me. "You need to go too, Lira," he mutters softly, "You can fight on your own if there's any trouble and they might need you to use the Dimensional Scream." When I don't accept it, he motions it toward me pressingly, "Take it and get Lapras to carry you all out to the Miracle Sea. She should do it, but if she refuses then you _make_ her take you there."

I can hardly believe what I'm hearing, even as the Relic Fragment is forcibly places in my grasp. "You're not coming…"It doesn't even sound real as it passes from my own lips. I shake my head, "I… I can't leave you both! I should stay—!"

"There's no time to argue, Lira!" he cuts me off, "You have to find the Phione, no matter what! It's the only way we can save Manaphy!" There's a hardened determination in his gaze, but he seems near tears, "I can use my aura to help keep him stable and watch after him while you're gone. Just get going and hurry back as soon as possible."

"I'll be here too…" Celebi hovers over to me, giving me a soft, reassuring smile, "I'll look after both of them, so don't worry, ok?"

"We'll all be here," Chatot nods, "You three should get moving to the Miracle Sea and find the Phione."

I don't know what all I can say to any of them. In the momentarily lapse of silence that follows, however, Grovyle picks up a number of various items and stows them all in his satchel. The next thing I know, Dusknoir has already headed outside and Grovyle is gently tugging me along by the wrist to follow them. I break out of my daze from the action and step over to my partner once more—his Relic Fragment laced within my grasp.

From the look he's giving me, as stubborn as my own normally is, I know there's no changing his mind. I hate this, but we really don't have much of a choice either. It has to be at least one of us going, and one of us also needs to be here for Manaphy. I lightly press my lips against his temple. "Watch after Manaphy for the both of us, alright?" I whisper even though I want nothing more than to stay, "Make sure he eats enough and if he starts acting up you can sing him that song we know, ok?"

"I'll do everything I can for him," he whispers back. I feel the cord attached to the Relic Fragment being tugged from my hands and I allow it. Then I next feel the thin rope being tied around my neck in a secure knot. "Now go. We're counting on you."


	28. Chapter 28: Miracles at Sea

To call the journey uncomfortable would be putting it lightly…

In our hurry to leave I didn't really think about it before beyond strategy, but Grovyle, Dusknoir and myself as a trio is probably one of the worst combinations for a team anyone could possibly imagine. Not for lack of power or strength—in those terms we're a pretty good mix—but because of our history. I can hardly speak a word to Dusknoir without Ri around and he and Grovyle have next to no reason to get along together either. Even with whatever all happened between them in the future, they are _far_ from being the best of pals.

What this results in is several hours of overwhelming, awkward silence throughout the length of the way to the Miracle Sea. What exactly are former arch enemies who were once trying to kill each other supposed to talk about? _Hey, remember that time you tried to slowly and brutishly execute us? No? Well, remember that time we fired our strongest attacks into your vortex of a stomach?_ Sure, we have some good memories to share from the true future, but the others are stronger in our minds: The former are more like… stories you hear about yourself and _know_ are true, like when you were a baby, but you don't remember them all that personally. There's a difference.

At least I have Marill and Azurill to talk to and distract me, or had for little while anyway. As sudden as it was, they were quick to come along, but where for the first few hours they were nothing but balls of unrivaled energy they're now curled together—taking a long and much needed nap. Now, with Dusknoir and Grovyle attending to their individual thoughts on opposite sides of Lapras' back, I'm left alone with mine. And they're eating me alive.

Why didn't Ri and I realize sooner that Manaphy was getting sick? We can use aura: We should've sensed that something was wrong. We had a responsibility to care for him and we couldn't even see just how badly he needed to be in a different environment.

Not to mention, as important as it is to find this medicine, I can't shake the feeling that I should be home with Ri and Manaphy. I know I couldn't do anything—I can't even use my aura to help heal people like Ri can—but what if something happens while we're gone? Part of me is worried and another part simply can't stand the thought of being this far away.

It's not just because of Manaphy being sick either if I'm completely honest with myself: Ever since coming back from the future, I've never done anything like this without Ri by my side. Sure, we'd split up while doing chores or on a couple of missions, but everything else we've always experienced together. I'm glad that at least he's there for Manaphy, but I can't help but feel anxious since he's not here with me.

Considering that it didn't take much convincing for Lapras to take us to the Miracle Sea, I think he gave me his Relic Fragment so I'd have a part of him with me rather than to talk her into the journey. He knew he could watch after our little guy and he knew I could handle this without him. He trusts that Dusknoir, Grovyle, and I can do this without fail. I only hope we can manage it, because if we don't find the Phione Dew and get home quick—

I shake my head and look out at the expanse of water glimmering in the evening sky. I don't even want to think about it.

It is when I notice how strange the water looks that I push myself up and scoot over for a closer inspection. It seems to glisten with an odd, golden light flickering across the surface of the sea and down into its depths. It's almost magical. _Ri would love this…_ I can't help but think to myself in silence, _It's so beautiful._ Maybe someday in the future we can come back here and see this again. I draw my knees to my chest. Maybe we could bring Manaphy with us.

"You can thank the properties of the rocks within waters for that shimmer," Lapras says. I crane my neck upward to find her glancing back at me. "There are many rare stones you can find here."

It's all I can do to offer her a small smile, "Not that I'm surprised, but you sure know a lot about seafaring."

She gives a single nod, "My family line has served Dialga and the Guardians of Light for generations, but I was waiting for the Chosen Shield for quite some time. Even while I was told to stay near Brine Cave, I learned much about the waters on this side of the Grass Continent."

"Chosen Shield?" I echo, but then I remember something. Back in the future I read a book that talked about something like this. Each of the Guardians of Light is represented by something according to why they were chosen: The Sword, the Shield, the Torch, the Song, and the Eye. I represent the sword—the text clearly talked about the Dimensional Scream when it mentioned it—and Ri must represent the shield since he protects the various boundaries of realms as a gatekeeper with his Relic Fragment. I don't remember much about the other three.

"The stories are as old as time itself, but remembered only in fragments," she continues, "but I've always been told that one of my ancestors journeyed alongside the first Guardians of Light. And when their lives neared the end and it was time to prepare for the next generation of Guardians, they vowed to ferry them across the realms.

"We're here."

It looks like just another speck of the wide ocean to me, but I trust Lapras' sense of direction and stand with Dusknoir and Grovyle getting onto their own feet not a second after. I imagine that they've had plenty of time to mentality prepare themselves for some time now. Now it's time to get to work.

I lean down to gently stir the young boys awake, "Marill, Azurill, we've made it." It takes a minute to rouse them, but soon enough my prodding and the promise of food snags them out of dreamland and back to reality. I give them some berries and a couple of lava cookies to share with each other and not a moment after feel the wave of cold and lethargy as Azurill's torrent from Soak washes over Grovyle, Dusknoir, and me. The waters in the Miracle Sea are nowhere near as freezing as the ones in the Surrounded Sea as we each jump in, so that comes as a small grace.

"I'm not sure where you'll find the Phione," Lapras sighs, "so watch the seabed from above before drifting too far down. Try not to get swept in any currents either."

"Please be careful," Marill adds.

"Count on it." With the stakes as high as they are, there's no room for failure. Manaphy's life is depending on us.

* * *

The ocean is silent.

Maybe it's because of it being nightfall, but really we're too deep for the light of the world above to reach us anyway, so I don't know how anyone who lives here could tell. Either way, unlike in the Surrounded Sea, there's not a soul in sight. It feels like we're alone down here.

It's impossible to tell just how long as passed as she swim beneath the sea, but it must be awhile. It's long enough for me to hear Dusknoir and Grovyle start whispering behind me about turning back for the time being. I do what I can to ignore them: Until I feel the effects of Soak fading, I want to keep looking. We can't afford not to.

"It's been a long time already," Grovyle mutters, "We'll drown if we don't hurry back to the surface."

"That's if the water pressure doesn't kill us first," Dusknoir counters with that cold reminder. He has to know I'm listening, because he then calls after me, "Lira, if we die down here, it won't matter if we can get the Phione Dew or not."

"Why are you worried about dying anyway? You're a ghost." I know it doesn't actually work that way for Ghost-type Pokemon—they need to eat, sleep, and breathe just like anyone else—but teasing him like that is really the only way to save myself from losing whatever control I have over my nerves.

Of course the Gripper Pokemon just begins to berate me at that. No matter what it seems like I'll always have a gift for getting on his bad side. "You have a natural affinity for endangering your own life, don't you? With such recklessness, how in the world you managed to summon an army of rebels under your leadership is beyond me!"

I've already stopped bothering to listen, but as he continues to drone on I notice a sudden blur of motion in the distance. I'm not sure what kind of Pokemon it is and I can barely tell what it looks like with the way it camouflages with the landscape of the sea, but I focus in on its aura signature and start to follow it. Maybe it's because I'm so desperate to get that medicine… I actually think that their aura feels a little bit like Manaphy's.

With the way I take off, my teammates don't really get much of a choice except for chase after me. Though I can only trust my instincts, I have a good feeling about this. Moreover, I want more than anything right now to find someone who can help us. This is the first person we've seen down here and there's no chance I'm going to be picky.

As fast as they swim, it's a miracle that we can catch up. Eventually though, we find ourselves led to wide clearing along the seabed illuminated with vivid glow-rocks. We're far from alone here: Adding the Pokemon that we followed, there are eight Water-types all gathered around one another in a cluster of chatter. They appear to be singing, but while it's beautiful I can't make any sense of the words.

Seeing them all startles me in a way nothing else could though. At first I think they're all Manaphy's, but when I take another look I notice some subtle differences. For one thing they're a little smaller, and for another they have deep blue markings detailing their eyes and forehead instead of pale yellows ones. What's most distinguishable though is that they only have one antenna where Manaphy has two.

Could they be Phione? For a moment, all I can do is marvel at them. "Could that be a pre-evolution for Manaphy?" I ask in a whisper. I know some species of Pokemon, such as Azurill and Budew, that are only born as they are in certain conditions.

"It's hard to say," Dusknoir answers with a faint shrug, "but it's apparent that they're related somehow."

"In that case, maybe they'll be more inclined to help us," Grovyle rounds us both to take the first steps toward them.

A sudden, vicious roar piercing through the atmosphere halts all of us though before we have a chance to get near them. There's not even a moment to think of what's happening as a massive figure darts from the far right—any from the barrier that is a towering series of rock formations—and barrels straight for the group of Water-types. With a piercing shriek, they split apart to where the hulk of a Pokemon now looms over just one of them, and now I can make him out plain as day.

Out of all Pokemon that we could possibly have the unfortunate luck to run into, it's a Gyarados.

Years ago, when I was a little kid and Grovyle and I were on the run together, I remember having crossed the path of a Gyarados that worked for the resistance. He was easygoing, patient, wise… I really doubt he and this one are one in the same. This Gyarados has a greedy, malicious sneer that would make anyone want to recoil.

"I found you at last!" his voice booms with a loud, obnoxious chuckle. If he notices us behind him, he either doesn't notice or doesn't care. "You're the Phione, right? You make the cure-all? Phione Dew? Well, _rejoice!_ From now on, you all answer to _me!_ All Phione Dew belongs to me from now on!"

"Wonderful," Dusknoir groans with sarcasm dripping from that single word. He casts me a sidelong glance, "Nevermind a natural affinity for self-endangerment: You're all but a magnet for attracting these scenarios…"

Once again, I choose to ignore him. This would explain why we didn't see any other Pokemon on our way here though. Unless they're the sort to lead and care for a school of Magikarp, Gyarados are renowned everywhere for their horrific and fearsome natures. This one though… He's just a bully, and Arceus knows I won't stand idly by and let him have his way.

Placing my hands on my hips, I move forward and raise my own voice to a shout, "You know, we're all trying to take you seriously, but it's a little hard to with that massive underbite you've got."

That certainly catches his attention. With the way he jerks his head in my direction and glowers down at me, I should probably feel more that I do. "Oh? Now who might you be?" he practically spits, "You look like you've got a bone to pick with me, missy, but you're about a million years too early to pick a fight with me!"

Even if I felt an ounce of feel for him, I am a mother with a desperately sick child and no patience whatever, and _he_ is standing in _my_ way. "Well, if you're _that_ much a geezer, then you should know to pick on someone your own size!" I curl my hand tightly into fists and shift my feet along the rocks, "You want a fight? _Bring it!_ "

He growls dangerously, "You'll regret not running away while you could! No mercy for meddlers!" With a fierce cry, he rears his head back and a harsh light begins to build within the confines of his jaws. Hyper Beam. It is with no small amount of effort that I through myself out of range of the attack—Grovyle and Dusknoir also managing to veer out of the way just in the nick of time. He's strong alright, but nothing that any of us haven't faced before.

"Remember that he's a Water _and_ Flying-type. Fighting-type moves will be weak against him," the Tree Gecko reminds me.

"Right," I grimace, " _Of course_ they are…" Fighting-type moves are one of my strongest points and even if I had fully mastered Bite by now I doubt there's any way I could use it in this situation. I need to find an opening.

Dusknoir takes the lead, his fist crackling in a haze of electric sparks and bubbles far more powerfully than it would normally—this environment acting as the perfect conductor to all that energy. The difference in size doesn't mean a thing as he drives the attack right into Gyarados' abdomen—and where most of my moves are weak against the latter, his deal _double_ the damage.

The sparks seem to race away from him and trail across Gyarados' body from all over as the Atrocious Pokemon howls in pain and rage. Curling his mouth in a wicked leer, he swiftly lashed out at Dusknoir with a powerful Aqua Tail that send the Ghost-type flying past us.

That's it though: _There's_ my opening. Without any hesitation, I leap onto Gyarados' tail and race up it and along the path of his back—knife-handing the layer of flesh between armored plates as I move with my aura amplifying the blows—until I reach the back of his head. Then, I use Quick Attack to drive my foot against his skull.

Grovyle quickly takes to my idea and uses it for his own, trailing up Gyarados' form just as I had only instead using Leaf Blade to make quick, precise cuts along his body. The instant isn't long-lived though as the latter uses Twister to hurl us both away from him in a spiraling vortex. I cry out as I'm sent flying, thankful that we're in the water or else I can't imagine how harsh the landing would actually be as my back slams into the ground—spurting up a rupture of sand all around me.

The rush of water moving past me warns me ahead of time as Gyarados uses Aqua Tail once more in attempts to flatten me to the ground: I manage to jump away right as it comes crashing down and fire an Aura Sphere right where his head should be to give me time to maneuver around him. His tails swing for me a second time, and I duck low as I race to rejoin my companions at their side—but of course none of us are as fast as Water-types in their own element.

A haze of shining pellets fly overhead next as Grovyle uses Bullet Seed to cover me. It's just enough of a distraction that I can lunge a safe distance away and take a few seconds to try to think of some kind of plan. And feel a distinctive feeling in my chest like a needle pressed against my lungs. We're running out of time.

Dusknoir moves past me and uses Thunder Punch once more against the giant. This time the latter actually reels back from the blow, so I know we're wearing him out: We just need to hang on for a little bit longer.

His fangs begin to crackle with a bright, white energy that I recognize from his earlier attack: His thinking about using Hyper Beam again. We got lucky the first time, but I'm not so sure that he'll miss this next round. And it'll be lights out for anyone who gets struck by that attack. Even with the amount of time he'll need to recover from using it, I also know that he'll still have enough stamina to keep fighting. So what can we do when really logical way he could be taken down is if we could turn that fire power against himself.

My eyes widen. I shoot my gaze over to the Grass-type, "Grovyle! Get behind me! I need you on defense!"

He shoots me a look, but doesn't question it—which is good, because he probably won't like what I'm planning anyway. He jumps into position without a word and readies an Energy Ball into the palm of his hand. I watch on as Dusknoir lands another hit only to be subsequently knocked away just as he had been the first time, and that's when I make my move: I fire another Aura Sphere. Not a powerful one, but one that should definitely get his attention.

I know I couldn't do it again if I tried as it strikes the Atrocious Pokemon clean on his snout. He snarls down at me with a vengeance and I clasp an arm around my chest. Let him think I'm hurt. Let him think I'm the weak link. I glare back up at him, _Aim for me, big guy. Just like I want you to…_

He does exactly what I hoped he would, stretching his gaping maw open once again to use Hyper Beam. Grovyle fires his Energy Ball to keep Gyarados a certain distance from me, then he's pulling at my arm to try to drag me away. I hold my feet firm against the ground though, pushing his away and bracing myself to Endure the attack.

Grovyle's timing with his own shot makes it so I don't have to face the attack at full force, but the aim is true enough that I still scream from the searing energy washing over me before I can grit my teeth. My legs shake unsteadily as the force behind the blast threatens to knock me back.

 _Copycat…_

Even hanging onto consciousness by a thread, I notice the white light that consumes me and see the play-by-play of the move within my mind's eye. My arms move on their own accord, my hands placed wider apart than they normally would be when I summon an Aura Sphere, as I feel a swell of energy gather in them from both myself and the surrounding environment.

It feels like, no sooner have I gathered it, it leaves my hands in a blinding flash—the recoil enough to throw me in the opposite direction. For however off my aim may be thanks to this, the closeness and size of my opponent easily compensates. There's no way for Gyarados to dodge the taste of his own medicine tosses right back at him. He howls in furious agony as it hits and then, stumbling, finally crashes to the earth himself with a thunderous rumble as a wave of sand kicks up and blankets over the area.

The pressure in my chest is building. More than that though, I can't move. I'm used to channeling my life energy for attacks several times over, but that wasn't like anything I've ever done before. That kind of power wasn't meant to be controlled: It just explodes out of you until you don't have an ounce of energy left to spend.

Grovyle races the short distance back over to me, pulling me up from underneath my arms and hovering around not just to keep me standing, but to make sure Gyarados won't lash out another attack as he raises his head with a tired groan and glares at us.

"Gah!" He moans, faltering as he starts to pick himself back up, "Don't… Don't you ever forget this!" His eyes burn hatefully, but there's a gleam in them that he won't try anything further. Whatever advantage he thought he had, he now knows that we're not exactly ones to be trifled with either. And just like that, in a maddened dash, he shuffles awkwardly off of the ground and dives into the distance without a trace. With all luck, hopefully he won't be coming back.

"Do I even need to mention how risky that was?" Grovyle mumbles near my ear.

"You can if you want," I sigh, "That is if I can stay awake long enough for a lecture." My entire body is already screaming at me for that stunt, but something else concerns me more: Our breathing—all three of us—has grown labored. I know it's not just from the fight. Soak is wearing off and the effects are getting worse.

The Phione still seem shell-shocked over what happened, but soon enough they all begin to cheer in their mix of words that I care barely make sense of. Finally though, I do hear a few cries in our own language. "Oh! Very good!" exclaims one that I believe to be a young girl as she swims closer to us, "Very good! Very good!"

I quickly notice the small, golden box held within her hands as she crosses the rest of the way over to us-holding it out to me. It's more on wishful thinking, but I already know what it is as she places it within my hands and I clumsily unfasten the clasp of the container. Inside is a vial of a shimmering aqua mixture that can only be the Phione Dew.

"This is our thank you!" she beams.

However, I struggle to show my gratitude in return. My chest is _burning_ now and all of my body hurts. Grovyle's arms slip away from me and I notice even Dusknoir struggling to hold himself up. We have to swim up: We have to get to the surface _now_!

I can't even manage to say anything, but I use my aura and that's all it takes to tell them just how badly we need help. In an instant, the Phione swarm over us. With the box in tow two of them grab ahead of me, a pair grab Grovyle, and four of them grab Dusknoir. Then we're soaring at a breakneck pace—up, up, and up, back to the surface of the ocean. Back to fresh air, back to Lapras and the others, and back home at last.


	29. Chapter 29: For the Best

It takes all night to get back and I don't sleep at all, but when we do finally return to Treasure Town a few hours before dawn, I take off at a mad dash with the Phione Dew in my arms. It doesn't occur to me that I should wait for the others until I'm already kicking up sand along the beach as I race for the path leading up the crossroads, and no one bothers to stop me. There's not a soul on the streets and no lights beyond the dim glow of the sky to lead me through the marketplace and to Sharpedo Bluff. I don't even say anything as I run down the stairwell.

I stumble to a halt on the final step. It's just Manaphy, Celebi, Chatot, and Ri in the main chamber that I'm split into—the first three in a deep sleep and the third raising his head to look up at me with tired eyes. I'm exhausted, but I can't imagine how he must feel. Even though we battled a Gyarados, I find that less stressful than having waited here without being able to do much of anything. He smiles at me though, pushing himself up off the ground to sprint over and envelop his arms around my waist.

"I knew you could do it," he whispers, holding me tightly.

"How is he?" That's all I can manage to ask. As if in response to this, Manaphy begins to groan in his sleep, the heavy rise and fall of his chest not much better than when we had left. I cross the short distance over to him and kneel by his side, taking his small hand in mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze as I check his temperature. I don't know how Ri did it, but it seems to have gone down a little bit anyway. Not much, but at least his forehead isn't burning up like a furnace.

All of the noise stirs Celebi and Chatot out of their slumber and their eyes flutter open lazily before widening into near-perfect circles when they see us. "Ah! You've obtained the Phione Dew!" the latter squawks, eying the vial I've placed by my side, "Quick! Give it to Manaphy!"

We don't need to be told twice. Ri unscrews the cap as I move over to hold the little guy's head up and rouse him from sleep. However, instead of taking the medicine, he groans once more and shakes his head as my partner brings the vial to his lips. I feel my heart prick with pain as I watch him and squeeze his hand once more.

Ri doesn't seem swayed though, a serious though gentle glint in his eyes. "Here, take this, Manaphy. It's Phione Dew," he continues to press encouragingly, bringing the bottle to the baby's lips once again.

After releasing a small cough, he finally takes it. There's no describing my relief as I see the liquid filter from the vial as he drinks it little by little. And already I can see it working! The rise and fall of his chest is slower and easier, as if someone had lifted a heavy weight from it. I release a deep sigh I didn't even know that I had been holding back, feeling my eyes string with unshed tears.

Manaphy's own eyes finally open. He raises them half-mast up at the three of us, his head rolling along the hay bed as he looks over each of our faces carefully before mumbling in a small voice, "Thanks… Mama… Daddy…"

A wave of emotion crashes over me and I look over to find Ri shaking. This whole time he's held himself together for Manaphy's sake, but now it couldn't be any more obvious how badly all of this has jarred him. Though his voice trembles a bit, he swallows hard and manages a tiny smile, "Whew, am I glad!"

"It seems to be working," Chatot nods, "He should be fine, given two or three days of rest."

"That's great…" Ri sniffs, losing his composure further, "Am I ever glad…" he repeats. I notice the tears pricking the corners of his eyes as they begin to water over too. Setting down the now empty bottle, I can now reach over to him and intertwine my fingers with his. Celebi—who's been sitting off to the side with a baited breath all the while—now flutters over to him and wraps her arms around his shoulders consolingly.

I don't know if I could've stayed as strong as he has through all of this. The waiting in itself would've killed me. I only wish I could've been here for him all this while, so he wouldn't have had to go through this alone. I mean, he had Celebi and Chatot with him this entire time, but… Would it be selfish to say that I don't think they can understand how we feel about Manaphy in the same way? We found him, we watched him hatch, we've been taking care of him as best we can, and now… this. At least I had Grovyle with me, who could understand things a bit better from taking care of me for as long as he did. Ri though… Has he been suffering in silence since we left?

After a while, I unclasp the Relic Fragment from around my neck and give it to him. "I think this thing looks a lot better on you than it does on me," I grin, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

He gives a faint snort before taking it and tying it back around his own neck.

At about this time, Grovyle and Dusknoir enter the chamber. I don't see Marill or Azurill with them, so they probably already sent the boys on their way home and to bed before coming here. With the way Celebi darts over to my brother, you'd think we were gone for a year instead of a day. "And what kept you, my dear Grovyle?" she lightly chides, "I've never known you to be slow to get anywhere."

Leave it to her to turn the mood around completely. Grovyle motions over to me at that, "I could barely keep up with her when she was five: What makes you think I can now?"

I can't resist the opening to tease him back, "You couldn't make those excuses when we first came to the past. It could just be that you're starting to lose your touch."

"I'll start losing my touch the day you start getting a little common sense in that stubborn head of yours," he quips right back.

"Lira… Ri…" Chatot's voice calls us back to attention, and from the look on his face we both already know what he has to say. It doesn't mean that we have to like it. I feel a weight settle on my heart at the thought.

"Yes. We know," Ri sighs, his ears falling back dejectedly. Why now? Why do we have to talk about this when we just went through so much? "Manaphy needs to develop the ability to survive in the sea…"

"I've already spoken to the Guildmaster," the Flying-type continues, "He and I decided to invite Walrein from the Northern Sea. We felt that he would be ideal for looking after Manaphy. He should arrive in town not long after the little one fully recovers."

I grimace at that, following my arms across my chest. I hate that they went ahead and talked about what to do with Manaphy without us, but I guess there isn't much we could say in the matter anyway. I don't know how many Water-types Ri has had the chance to meet, but I certainly wouldn't know anyone who could look after him. I just wish we could've had a say, or at least have gotten to meet Walrein before this was all decided behind our backs. If it wasn't Wigglytuff recommending the Pokemon, I'd be tempted to refusing his help.

I cast a glance back over to my partner. In the very least, we'll have plenty of time to spend with Manaphy and then say goodbye… Maybe it won't be forever. Maybe we'll be able to see him again, when he's older… After all, it's not unheard of for a person to get sick and need to be sent away from home for a little while, right? It's not all the different…

It just hurts. A lot.

"Considering the conditions in which you found Manaphy as an egg, the Northern Sea should be an ideal climate for him to grow up in," Dusknoir adds, as if to drive the idea of the necessity of all of this further. "If I remember correctly, it's far up within the boundaries of the Air Continent. Everything I've read of it states that it's a peaceful community."

He might just be trying to help by giving us some idea of where our little guy's going to live, but knowing that he'll be that far away from us only makes things worse.

Dusknoir and Chatot both eventually leave to head back to the Guild compound, but Ri and I opt to spend the night in Sharpedo Bluff with Grovyle and Celebi. The Phione Dew did wonders, but we don't want to move Manaphy just yet. Not until we're certain he's recovered.

* * *

Just as quickly as he had fallen ill, Manaphy gets his strength back in no time. And in what little time we have left with him, Ri and I break away from all of our work at the Guild to make as many memories as possible. We explore the nearby forests surrounding Treasure Town. We visit that pond that Ri showed me during the winter. We share our meals together and in the afternoons we go down the beach. One evening, we were even able to watch the Krabby blow bubbles as they sometimes do when the weather is perfect.

And all that time seems to go by too fast on the evening that Walrein arrives to Treasure Town. I end up biting the bullet, meeting with him first while Ri helps pack a few things for Manaphy in a pouch we bought him earlier in the week. It helps stall him to give Ri a few more minutes alone with our child while also letting me take a good look at the person will be entrusting him with.

We stand in the fading sunlight on the shoreline as we wait. There's me, Walrein, and Chatot. I'm guessing the Guild's second-in-command is here to see things through to the end and also make sure that we actually will go through with this. He helps break some of the tension between us anyway. Dusknoir and Celebi are here too, waiting on the sidelines, and Grovyle's here to support me with a hand clasped gently on my shoulder. Out of all of the others, I'm glad he's here: Not just for comfort, but also because he's a better judge of character than I am. If he thinks Walrein's ok, then there really isn't anything I could possibly say against him.

The Walrein in question isn't feeble by any means—with a tough, thick layer of skin and a pair of long, slightly-yellowed tusks—but he's definitely well past his prime. His fur is grizzled and his skin is dull, but at least he looks like someone who can protect Manaphy. From what I've studied in the past few days, his kind also live in herds that protect their members fiercely, so it won't just be him looking after the little guy.

"It might not seem like much since it's so small, but it really is a beautiful place," Walrein explains when we asked about the Northern Sea. From the look of pride in his eyes, I can tell he means what he says and isn't just telling us this to reassure us. "There's an area in it we call the Bountiful Sea and the stones there are an artisan's wonder. The Serene Sea where I live is very still, and there are plenty of ruins that the little ones love to explore. You'll want to visit sometime if you're ever in the Air Continent."

"I know Ri would love to," I answer with a smile that doesn't really feel genuine, "And if Manaphy takes after us at all, I know he'll like that a lot." Speaking of which, I see them out of the corner of my eye now—gliding along the shore with his pack with Ri holding his hand. "Did you get everything?" I call after them, "He's ok, right?"

"Yeah, and the little guy's as good as ever," Ri answers with a grin that doesn't reach his eyes either.

"Good! Ever!" Manaphy cheers alongside him. He's as bright and cheerful as always. The minute he sees Walrein, however, his gaze turns curious. From living at the Guild, he's used to strangers coming and going all the time, but he must know something's up. We haven't really talked to him about all of this because we don't think he'll understand: He is still just a baby.

At this point, Ri looks over to Walrein, "I've put away some Blue Gummis for him if he gets hungry: They're his favorite. Also, there's this ball he loves to play with, but don't let him take it out until you've stopped somewhere or else he'll be tossing it everywhere and he might lose it. He's pretty energetic…" Hearing the small crack in his voice at the end, I take his hand in mine.

The Ice Break Pokemon nods, looking at us both sympathetically, "Aye. I've heard all I need to hear from your Wigglytuff. You've my word, I'll take full responsibility for raising Manaphy."

"Please take good care of the little guy…" Ri looks down to the sand at his feet, then kneels down to meet Manaphy at eye level, "Manaphy…" he addresses softly, taking a deep, steadying breath, "From now on, I want you to be good and listen to Walrein. And grow strong and healthy in the sea…" I feel my throat tighten as Manaphy tilts his head at Ri's words, but my partner presses on as he fights back his own tears, "As you get older… Don't forget us…"

I can't stop myself from falling to my knees and scooping Manaphy up in my arms, giving him a firm hug. I'm crying now too. Not a second after, my partner wraps his arms around us both. "We love you, Manaphy," I tenderly cup his cheek in my hand, "We love you _so_ much, alright? More than anything else, remember that? Ok?"

"Daddy?" he murmurs with confusion, "Mama?" Even if he can't understand what's happening or why, I just hope he'll know we're only doing this because we care about him…

I feel Grovyle's touch linger behind me uncertainly before I hear him step back. Chatot watches us in silence for just a moment before clearing his throat, "Prolonging this will only make it worse. Walrein, please…"

"Aye." But the empty way the Ice-type answers reveals that he's no more fond of the parting than anyone else here—much less being the one to do it. I have to force my arms to slip away from Manaphy as he steps close to us. It feels like a part of me is going with him as the warmth of his body leaves ours. "We're going, Manaphy," he moves closer and offers his hand, but when the little guy doesn't take it he gently takes his.

There's a sudden look of panic in Manaphy's eyes and he snaps his gaze back to us, "Mama? Daddy?" Then Walrein picks him up and presses him against his shoulder, moving into the water with saddened eyes as our little guy then begins to cry for us, " _Mama! Daddy!_ "

A soft whimper leaves me and I press my head to Ri's chest as my sobs worsen. It takes every effort of willpower I have not to give chase. I wrap my arms around my partner and feel the droplets of his own tears falls against my head as he holds me close to him. "Take care… Manaphy…" he whispers in a near inaudible voice, his voice strained with sorrow…

But mine isn't. I look back once more at the sea and the two figures disappearing from view and I scream after them. "Walrein! You better watch after our baby, you hear me?! If I hear that he so much as stubs his toe, _I will_ come after you!"

 _We love you…_ The thought echoes through my mind, but this time it doesn't make it past my lips between the tears. _We'll always love you, Manaphy…_

Arceus, I can't do this… I don't want to do anything except lie down right now. I feel heartbroken and I feel sick.

I'm reminded of something I saw through the Dimensional Scream from my time in the future, back when I visited Fortree City. My parents had talked about sending me off to Sinnoh because of my ability to use aura. Despite how it made me a bigger handful to take care of though, my mother said that she didn't want to until I was older and could make that decision for myself. We didn't really have a choice, but would my parents have gone through with it if they had really been forced to send me away? What would they have done?

I guess it doesn't matter at this point. They're gone: They can't give me advice and I'm never going to see them again. Manaphy's gone and… Well, I _hope_ we'll get to see him again. Maybe someday, maybe when things are better, we can visit him. The Northern Sea in the Air Continent: I won't forget.

I only half pay attention to what's going on around us. Chatot goes ahead and leaves. Good, because he's not somebody I really want to talk to right now and comforting people isn't really a strongpoint of his to begin with. Dusknoir follows soon after, and really I'm surprised he showed up to begin with. Celebi's crying to, and Grovyle's helping comfort her the best he can. The both of them try to get us to follow them back to the town, but Ri shakes his head. I don't want to go anywhere and I don't think he really does either. We'll just sit here for a little bit longer.

We'll be fine, we just… need time…


	30. Chapter 30: Moving Forward

I don't know when exactly we left the beach and went back to our quarters in the Guild: I just know that Ri and I turned in pretty early that night and that the next morning I'm waking up to him sleeping soundly by my side. I don't know what time it is, but I feel so emotionally drained that I don't care for getting up or stirring Ri as he continues to dream by my side.

It's so quiet. I guess it's because he hatched a little before dawn, but Manaphy was a pretty early riser. I had gotten used to waking up to his baby talk or to him already splashing around in the tub we still haven't moved out. Despite how often I prefer to sleep-in, this is just depressing. However, I've already shed so many tears that I don't think I can do it anymore. I'm just tired. I miss our little guy.

But we have to get moving. We can't stay like this and I have to be strong for Ri. He's not used to this sort of thing the way I and the others in our team are. I have no doubt that he'll move on from this eventually, but I still want to help.

What can I do for him? I don't think he'll want to find a job from the Boards, but I don't think having him stick around Treasure Town is a good idea either. He loves the beach, but he definitely won't want to go there right now. Maybe breakfast in bed? No, I can't cook and Chimecho would probably kill me if I tried to without her or someone else to keep an eye on me.

Idea after idea gets tossed around in my mind before being thrown out right after, and I end up thinking for long enough that Ri begins to wake up anyway. Still half-asleep, he stretches his shoulders and roll over onto his stomach as I watch him where I lay next to him on my side.

"Good morning, Lira," he mumbles, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His gaze then falls and he hesitates a moment before looking over to the smaller hay bed used to be. His eyes drop once more as he says in a much softer voice almost to himself, "Manaphy… The little guy's gone…"

I shimmy closer to him, curling my tail over him and overlapping his paw with my own as I lean over to give him a light nuzzle of affection. "This is for the best," I try to reassure him, "Walrein will take care of him for us. Probably better than we ever could… And he'll be happier in the ocean."

"Yes… You're right… We did the only right thing for Manaphy." It looks like he's already accepted it, but it's like I said before; it doesn't mean either of us has to like it. I don't, and I certainly won't try to convince him to. "I think Walrein will try to raise him properly. And maybe… Maybe, one day somewhere, we'll be able to see Manaphy again…"

"I'm sure we will. Someday. 'The bonds we make with others,'" I yawn, "'create an infinite amount of ties that bind the world and stabilize it, testing the boundaries of fate and the supposed inevitable…'" It takes me a minute to realize how weird that sounds and where I got that from, and I add in explanation when I see Ri's look of bewilderment with a soft chuckle, "Sorry, that's just something Dialga told me once." At the time, it sounded so cryptic that I didn't know how to make sense of it out of everything else he was telling me. Now, I think I understand what he was trying to say—or at least a little.

He snorts, "Good. You're not speaking in tongues then." We both have a quiet laugh over that before he brushes his nose against mine, pushes himself up into a sitting position, and continues, "Oh, Lira. We shouldn't go around feeling sorry and sad forever. I doubt Manaphy would want that. But I can't get back to feeling like it's normal right away… Still, I think we should be positive and keep moving forward. Ok?"

The corner of my lip rises in a faint, empathetic grin. "I know Ri." I know things are going to be hard for us for a little while. I know that I need to give him as much time as he needs to move forward, just like he's always done for me. And I know that, eventually, we'll be ok again. It won't be today or tomorrow, but someday we'll be alright, knowing that we did the best we could.

The growling of our stomachs is enough to rouse us both out of bed to start the day. We might've been too upset to eat dinner last night, but this morning we're starving. We might as well get a good start to the day with a good meal.

It's still so quiet, even when we step out into the hall, that I can tell not everyone is awake yet. However, the welcoming smell of food and the sound of voices in the mess hall lets us know that we're not too early. Beyond a few random exploration teams, Diglett, Dugtrio, and Loudred are already up and are finishing their own breakfasts just as we get ours.

A fried egg over a bowl of white rice, a couple Nanab berries, and a cup of juice each—plus whatever other fruit we pluck from the bowl placed not all that far from where we sit at a wide table: Compared to the usual apple or bowl of oatmeal that we eat, it's a feast for so early in the morning.

I can feel the other three explorers watching us in silence as we eat. Of course none of them were as close to Manaphy as we were, but they still cared about him and surely they understand how much it hurt to have to let him go. They're probably wondering how we're holding up. As of now, we've got enough of a reign on our emotions to keep ourselves together: I don't know if that'll be the case if they bring up Manaphy. Before any of them can say a word, I look over at Dugtrio, "Have any Pelipper come by yet to drop off any new jobs today?"

My question seems to catch him off-guard at first, but after blinking back at me for a moment he soon answers, "N-no, not yet… We normally can't expect any to show up for at least another hour."

"I hoping there might be something open since it's been a while since we've had any serious jobs." I spare a glance over at Ri, who keeps picking at his rice, "I don't think we'll be hitting the field all that hard just yet, but something easy and something fairly close would be nice." I'm hoping the subtle hint laced between my words is enough for them.

That's when Loudred chimes in, "I think the Guildmaster said something about needing to send someone to the Oran Forest to restock on supplies. It's more of a chore than anything, but it's something."

I grin at him appreciatively before turning to face my partner, "I think our map says that it's not all that far from the Apple Woods. Maybe we could stop by there too to bring back some Perfect Apples for the Guildmaster." To my dismay though, he doesn't look up and continues to pick at his food. I think he needs this. We need this. "Ri, what do you think?'

He finally looks up and offers a small shrug, "It's better than just sitting around. I think I'll pass on another day of kitchen duty."

My expression falls. 'It's better than just sitting around…' In other words, he means, 'I don't really want to go anywhere, but staying here isn't going to help us, so why not?' This really does seem like our best idea for the time being though. We're not in the right frame of mind to do any high-rank jobs and another day in town will just leave us even more depressed. I have to get a grip on the situation for the both of us.

"Then I guess that's it then…" I return with a level of confidence I don't really have. I peel back the skin of a Nanab berry and take a bite of the fruit before adding, "We'll need to tell Wigglytuff we're going, but we should be able to leave right after the morning address is over."

"You'll be able to leave to go _where?"_ a familiar voice presses behind me.

My entire body freezes when I hear Grovyle's words and look to see him and Celebi standing in the entrance to the mess hall. It's been so long that I didn't think we were still in trouble. Now I'm starting to think otherwise.

"It's just a quick trip to get some supplies. It's not dangerous," I try to pacify him, "We're picking apples!" It's then, however, that I notice the packs slung on both his and Celebi's shoulders. My brows contort in confusion and I slump back in my seat. I know they haven't been called to check on the anomalies still going on in the world for some time now. I thought that meant things were starting to go back to normal. "Where are _you_ going?"

He shrugs and motions over to Celebi, who I've never seen look so backward before until now. She gives Ri and I both an awkward smirk before answering, "I've been summoned, you two." Seeing our blank stares, she adds, "I really hate explaining this twice…

"Since Dialga is the Guardian of Time and we're time-travelling Pokemon, we Celebi are strongly connected to him. We don't just watch over forests: We also help him with issues regarding time when he calls on us using his telepathy. It wasn't like that in the Dark Future, when he lost himself, but it's like that now. It's my duty, so I have to go." A bright twinkle then suddenly appears in her eyes, "Grovyle is tagging along to protect me!"

"Only because you asked," he voices, squeezing his eyes shut as his cheeks tinge a faint shade darker. "I'm more than certain that you could handle yourself just fine."

She puffs her cheeks, "Well, that's just mean! Yes, I'm tough, but you know I really do need help _sometimes!_ But I'll forgive you."

He briefly shakes his head, and then looks back at the two of us. "We have to leave as soon as possible, but we came by to pick up Dusknoir. Even after all that's happened, when he heard that we were going to meet with Dialga, he insisted on tagging along."

I'm actually the least surprised by that than anything else. Dusknoir's always been fervently loyal to Dialga: Not even jumping back in time is going to change that. I share a glance with the others at the table, but from the looks on their faces none of them know where he is either. Ri's the one to speak up for all of us, "We haven't seen him since yesterday. He's probably still in his room."

Celebi purses her lips, her wings batting against the air in a ruffled manner, "If he's still asleep after asking to come along, then I'll just have to drag him out of bed myself!" And before anyone can stop her, she darts out of the mess hall to go after him.

"Grovyle, what's going on?" I press, pushing myself up from the table to step over to him. The world seems to be healing from the disaster with time, but what if all of this means that we're wrong? I can't help but be a little worried, especially since it was almost around this time last year when all of the chaos really happened. It's almost like an anniversary for disaster.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure…" he answers, still watching the path that Celebi took off in. He pauses for a moment longer to collect his thoughts before looking back at me, "This world is still steadily recovering from the abnormalities in time, but apparently there's something that occurred that not even Dialga himself can make sense of—an abnormality that continues to exist without his knowledge. He's calling on the Celebi to investigate it."

"What do you mean?" I glance over my shoulder to see Ri push himself up from the table as well. Even with all that's happened, it only makes sense for him to be worried too. The events of Temporal Tower put us both through a lot. "Can't Dialga sense things that would affect time? Like when he could find Celebi when she time-travelled? And he's not Primal Dialga, so he hasn't lost himself either."

The former just shakes his head, "Usually, he can—which is why this doesn't make any sense. It could possibly be why the other anomalies continue to happen. At worst, it might be another threat to the world."

"Shouldn't we go too?" I can't help but feel like we hold some responsibility for all of this. We're the ones who stopped Temporal Tower from collapsing in order to save the planet: If something's still out there threatening everything we fought so hard to save, I want to see this through to the end. I want to protect everyone.

Grovyle offers me a light smirk of understanding, reaching over to rustle my hair fondly. "After all we've done, I'm certain that if Dialga needs us to act he'll call on us as well. I'm only going for Celebi's sake." He releases a tired sigh before adding, "It should really only be a small matter for her to handle, but then again who knows what sort of mess she'll get into along the way…"

"So…" One of Ri's ears pins back with cautionate curiosity, "I take it we're free to go on missions again?"

I glance at my brother-figure hopefully. He couldn't really stop us before and he definitely wouldn't be able to while he's away, but apparently he _can_ put us through a lot of grief with Chatot and Wigglytuff ordering us to do chores. I'd rather not go through that for the third time in a row.

He sighs yet again, folding his arms across his chest. "It doesn't seem like there's been any danger looming over the two of you for a while, so as long as you promise me you'll keep your guard up at all times, I see no reason why not… Just be careful."

We both nod, and at last I sense a spark of content from my partner. _Team Crusade is back to work once again!_ Still, I see Grovyle studying us carefully and I know he deeply means it when he warned us about keeping an eye out for ourselves. We have every reason to be cautious.

With that in mind, a sudden thought occurs to me and I begin to fish around in mine and Ri's Treasure Bag until I pull out the Lunar Wing Gardevoir had given me. After Sky Peak, I had taken to keeping it nearby me for safety. After Manaphy was born, however, I really just forgot about it. Now though, since everything seems ok, I give it to Grovyle. Ri and I will be fine—we've handled worse, and somehow we're able to handle these kinds of things just fine so long as we're together—but I can't say that about him, Celebi, and Dusknoir. I don't want what I saw happen in the future to happen to them. "Take it," I say, slipping it into his hands, "Think of it as a good luck charm."

Of course he knows it's more than that, but he also knows I won't budge on something like this. So, with a small nod, he slips it into his own satchel. He fondles my hair once more, "I'm not sure for how long we'll be gone, but we'll try to come back as soon as possible."


	31. Chapter 31: A Charming Meeting

It's been taking a few days, but soon enough Ri and I are back to the steady rhythm of work that we've always known. Having to have sent Manaphy away still hurts—I know we both worry constantly over how he's doing—but we're beginning to be ok with it. He's safe, so there's nothing more we could really ask for beyond that. And it's like we talked about when all of this started: In a lot of ways, we're still kids ourselves. We've got a long way to go before parenting ever becomes an issue for us again.

It's a little hard to say that after everything we've been through… You'd think we'd be less childish and more responsible than we are, but we're just not. I kinda doubt we're ever really going to change in that respect. Not entirely, anyway—we want to see and do too much.

The thing is, once we got back to work there really wasn't any stopping us from doing every kind of mission we could to make up for lost time and keep us busy after the first trip to the Oran Forest was done. If there were two or more jobs that needed to be done in the same area, we'd take them both. If someone wanted us to escort them somewhere and where they were headed was on the way, we'd bring them with us. Maybe we're trying to distract ourselves from everything that's been going on, but we really do love what we do anyway. No matter what, I think we'd be consumed by it.

"Oran berries, Max Elixirs, Heal Seeds…"I recite as I double check our inventory for the day's assignments, "Add some Iron Spikes and at least one Petrify Orb and we should be good to go." We do sometimes carry more than this, but the things I listed are standard for everyday for us whenever we head out.

"We don't even know where we're going yet," Ri smirks at me, tying his bandana around his neck, "Chances are we'll just have to bring more along than that."

"Better to have prepared what we can anyway," I counter, smiling back. Really though, I've been carrying our bag around for the both of us for so long that this is just a morning routine for me.

His teasing expression is there for just a moment longer before it suddenly morphs into one of confusion and one of his ears tilts back. His gaze turns to the door of our quarters and he shuffles a step closer to it. I watch him curiously before I begin to pick up on what he finds so strange: It's quiet. We didn't get up early today, but it's not all that late in the morning either so not that many people should already be at work. The Guild should be as rowdy as possible at this hour.

We step out into the hallway, but there's not a soul in sight. Every door to every other room we pass is sealed shut. It isn't time for the morning meeting. Did they call it early? No, Loudred would have stormed in our room to get us or there would've been a message over the intercom. Something else has to be going on…

It's pretty easy to figure out what's happening though by the time we enter the Guild's main chamber on the second floor. A large crowd of explorers has clustered together in an excited mix of chatter and, along with Chatot and Wigglytuff, I see every apprentice within the Guild among them. Croagunk isn't even at his station, and he doesn't get excited over things as easily as most of us.

"Huh? What's going on?" Ri mutters as we take a few steps closer to the mass of Pokemon, "I wonder what everyone's doing here."

But I see why as soon as we near them. Three Pokemon stand within the center of the crowd: A Medicham, a Lopunny, and a Gardevoir—a trio of explorers that specialize in treasure hunting known for their strength, beauty, and genius. Each of them specializes in a specific trait to balance out the whole of the team. And they're all resolute young women. Chimecho and Sunflora are some of their biggest fans. I'd recognize them from anywhere, though there faces do bring up some… less than comfortable memories…

"Oh my gosh! It's unbelievable!"

"There the real deal, by golly!"

"Wow! Can I get your autographs, _please?!_ " As expected everyone's in a fuss over them, but I'm a little surprised to see even Loudred turn into such a fanboy. Seriously, it's almost like I can see his pupils contracting into little hearts.

Ri crosses over to the Guild's second and asks, "Hey, Chatot. Who are these Pokemon?"

He balks at my partner indignantly, "Huh?! There you go sticking your foot in your mouth again!" In some ways, I'm almost glad he's back to his usual, scolding self. Almost… "That lovely trio is Team Charm, the ultrafamous treasure hunters! They've earned the Master Rank, which is reserved solely for teams of extraordinary merit. As experts, they've discovered countless treasures. Moreover they don't just find them. Oh, no!" He waves a wing at them pointedly, "Strong! Smart! Beautiful! The sheer style of their treasure hunts is what makes them celebrities!"

I don't really listen to him as he continues to gush over the three to Ri, crossing my arms over my chest. I respect them as our superiors, but even at a lesser rank we've done a lot ourselves. I understand the celebrity status exploration teams can get, but I've really never had it in me to be in-awe of any of them. I mean besides the Guildmaster, but that's mostly… caution.

"But I must wonder… Why would the beauties of Team Charm visit here?" Chatot muses to himself aloud.

 _If you've got such a crush over them, why don't you ask them yourself?_ But honestly, I have to wonder that too. The last time they were here in town was when—

"Hiya!" a voice suddenly cuts in through my thoughts. We turn our heads just in time to watch Wigglytuff step out of his chambers and all at once the commotion stops as the trio of women turn to him and part their way through the crowd to greet him.

"Oh! Wigglytuff, darling! It's been a long time, sweetie!" Lopunny almost seems to be overflowing with cheer as she takes one of his hands in both of her own and the rest of her team join her at either side of her. She warbles in the light voice that could put most Flying-types to shame, "Oh, Wigglytuff! You haven't changed one bit!"

"Seeing you as a Guildmaster!" Medicham beams, her speech a little loud and gruff, but still pleasant, "Imagine that! That's amazing!"

Gardevoir's next, "It has been a long time, Wigglytuff." Her voice is steady, but no one could ignore that it has its own charm.

Wigglytuff nods, acting like his usual, bubbly self as he answers them back with a firm nod, "Yup. Long time no see! Have you all been well?"

No one's really sure what to make of the easy conversation. Well, the three of them had just passed through whenever they did stop by, so they didn't come to the Guild at all. Probably because this kind of gathering is exactly what would've happened back then.

"Guildmaster…" Sunflora voices timidly, like she doesn't want to interrupt her idols, "Are you already acquainted with Team Charm?"

"Oh!" Medicham laughs, placing her hands on her hips. "Wigglytuff was a _real_ go-getter back in the day. Like…" She draws back her lips in the mimic of a growl.

The imagery from that does nothing for anyone. On another matter though… _Back in the day?_ I've always considered Chatot and Wigglytuff to be a little less than in their middle ages, but the members of Team Charm don't look much older than Grovyle. What do they mean 'back in the day?' Back in the day when they were still toddlers in school?

The dual Psychic-type turns back to face the Guildmaster once again, "So, how are you nowadays?"

"Back then, Wigglytuff was something else," Lopunny continues off of her teammate's explanation for everyone's sake. There's almost a fire in her eyes as she speaks, "No one could beat him. So cool!"

Wigglytuff chuckles at that, but I notice Chatot shuffle awkwardly. Right, Chatot was Wigglytuff's partner when they were an exploration team. They were likely that way for years before they worked enough to become leaders of a Guild all their own, so they probably stuck to each other like glue. "Uh, Guildmaster…" he starts, almost as hesitantly as Sunflora, "Uh, how do you know the beauties of Team Charm?"

His answer to that is just as update and casual as one can expect from him, "Well, they're my friends. Friends from long ago!"

Lopunny adds to that, "That's right. We were partners in exploration with Wigglytuff."

Even with everyone still balking at the four of them, waiting like excited little kids for more details, they just go back to their own conversation. "So what brings you all here?"

"So astute of you," Gardevoir grins, "We came about an important matter. Do you recall, when we were exploring a long time ago, that we found a mysterious key? At the time, we didn't know what the key was for. Well, we've finally found out where it should be used."

"You see, we discovered a place called Aegis Cave. That key is a perfect fit for the keyhole to its entrance," Medicham unfolds a map stowed within the pouch attached to her hip. "There's more. It's said that the cave holds a vast trove of treasure."

As a whirl of excited chatter resumes around them, Lopunny turns on the charm that her team is so well named for, "Say, Wigglytuff, darling… That key we found then… You've still got it, haven't you?"

As for me, out of every kind of reaction that Wigglytuff could've had, I nearly choke on my own spit when I see the confusion written on his face and he replies with another laugh, "Key? What kind of key? I don't remember."

Sometimes, I really don't understand our Guild's—or our Guildmaster's—famous reputation… Then again, maybe this kind of insanity is what we're actually known for and I just haven't heard from anybody about it yet. I'd like to visit another Guild sometime just for the sake of comparison. Right now though, I just want to move away from the chaos I'm expecting.

Medicham's shock quickly turns to outrage, "Hey! We went through a lot to get that key! Are you saying you lost it?!"

"That's typical for Wigglytuff. Somethings haven't changed at all, it seems," Gardevoir sighs, rubbing her temple. She then turns to their team leader, "Lopunny, it's time for our gift…"

"I hear you, Gardevoir…" Her awkward expression makes me feel so bad for her though. I believe she could out-charm anyone, but Wigglytuff just isn't the person that that sort of thing works for. Actually, I have no idea what sort of thing would work on Wigglytuff, besides the time we used a Sleep Seed on him. She reaches into her own bag, and I recognize the vivid, red skin of the item she takes out immediately. "Here you go, Wigglytuff. We've brought you a little gift. It's your favorite: A Perfect Apple!"

The Guildmaster practically dances with it as it's handed to him. However, I can easily see the ulterior motive here. When Wigglytuff's tired or hungry, let's just say that there isn't much on his mind beyond food or sleep. Unless there's something extremely serious going on, he's also not really the kind to get up until the crack of noon. A Perfect Apple though? Nothing could snap him out of a drowsy spell fast enough.

"So…" Gardevoir presses, "about that key…"

He pauses to blink at them for a moment, but then his eyes widen and his give the trio of treasure hunters a rapid nod, "Oh! I remember now! _That_ key! The one shaped like an Unown." He then turns to storm off back into his room. "I'll go look!"

Well, as interesting as all of this is, it doesn't really involve us. I'm sure we can hear the story about their adventures later when we get back. It looks like Ri's going to stick around for a little longer, but that doesn't mean that I can't go ahead and check the Mission Boards for us both.

As a matter of fact, I'm nearly at the ladder when a loud crash and the Guildmaster's classic " _Yoom-tah!_ " sends me grinding to a halt mid-stride. I spin back around just in time to see him step back to of his room and hand the key over to Lopunny. It's solid back, like it's made out of obsidian or onyx, with a shape I recognize as being in the figure of an 'F' of the different variations of Unown.

"Yes, darling! This is the key." She nods eagerly, taking it in her hand and holding it up for her teammates to examine with her. She props her free hand on her hip proudly, "This will open the way into Aegis Cave. Thank you, Wigglytuff!" Her smile than broadens, "Say, why don't you join us? It will be like old times."

But the Guildmaster's already gone back to his snack, "Yay! A Perfect Apple! Thank you!"

"You really haven't changed…" the Embrace Pokemon repeats.

"Well, we'll be going now sweetie," Lopunny sighs, stashing away the key within the safety of her bag, "See you, Wigglytuff."

It's impossible for me to be excited by their coming our way, but I do get nervous. However, by the time I even think to take off in one direction or another, they spot us. I see a glimmer of recognition in their eyes that sends my stomach tightening anxiously. And here I was, thinking that they didn't remember or else were so busy with the crowd that they wouldn't notice.

"If it isn't this little, kick-butt cutie!" Lopunny squeals, charging forward before any of us can say a word with the other pair right behind her. Sunflora and Chimecho eagerly follow, and I guess they were so absorbed with Team Charm that they didn't know Ri and I were even here until now. There's nothing I can do as I'm suddenly scooped up like a doll and pressed against the Normal-type in a tight hug. "Word gets around, you know! I knew you had a spark in you, but travelling into the future and saving the world? Now that's cool!"

"And to think you haven't even evolved yet," Medicham snorts, pressing her knuckles against my head and greeting me with a noogie, "That's gonna be epic!"

I imagine Sunflora and Chimecho have already bragged off to most of the others about what happened to the three of us a while back, but I still get my share of confused stares anyway. Specifically from Ri. His surprise is clearly no better than Chatot's had been. We didn't spend every day of our apprenticeships together, but we did spend most and we usually talked about the times we spent apart. There was little to nothing that one of us _didn't_ know about the other since I came here from the past.

Except this.

"You know them, Lira?" Ri questions, baffled, "When did you meet them?"

"Remember that one day I didn't want to talk about?" I feel a slight warmth creep along my neck, "It was that day."

Noticing my blush, the trio snickers. Lopunny raises a hand to her lips to hide back her laughter, "I guess you could've called it a girls' day out. These two went with us on a job as well." With that, she motions over to Sunflora and Chimecho—who are absolutely beaming—before asking me, "So, do you still remember Attract?"

"You know Attract?" I hear Croagunk shout from somewhere in the crowd with noticeable disbelief.

"We don't talk about Attract either…" I mumble, the warm feeling climbing up to my cheeks.

Considering how I was pretty much forced to learn it at the time with Chimecho and Sunflora, it's impossible for me to forget. It was around the time the first Time Gear was taken. Every exploration team in the continent was busy with the disasters with time stopping combined with our usual work. Team Charm was passing through and somehow I got hauled along to meet them. They taught us the move, I only used it once, and—after a moment that even I'd dare to say I'd rather forget—I never used it again.

Seeing some of the other guys look away from me, particularly my partner, I know that they remember it too… "Yeah, we don't talk about Attract," Loudred huffs, staring at the ground and then muttering, "Especially when the person using it isn't all that attractive…"

 _Oh, we'll see if I don't hide an Iron Spike in your bed tonight for that,_ I narrow my eyes at him.

Seeing that this conversation can only go on a downhill slope, Ri shakes off some of his nerves and steps closer to the trio. He addresses them politely, "Uh… Excuse me!"

"Yes?" Lopunny looks back and forth at us both, one of her ears dipping low with intrigue.

"I was wondering, um…" he clenches his Relic Fragment and shuffles his weight to his other foot, "May we go exploring with you?"

I look at him with some surprise. With his shy behavior, even with all that's happened still fairly fresh on our minds, I wasn't expecting him to make that sort of request—it's pretty unlike him. I'm pretty sure the shock of that boldness alone sweeps over everyone: Nevertheless, soon after, the other apprentices begin to beg Team Charm the same thing right after him.

A small smile traces his lips as he looks at the crowd before turning to face me, "And you, Lira? You'd like to explore this new dungeon too, right?"

I feel that there's something more laced within his words, another reason for all of this. He could just be doing this to try to learn more about what happened that day with Team Charm since it's so embarrassing for me. I can see him holding that over my head. On the other hand, what if this is his way to try to make a big step forward after losing Manaphy? A big exploration to test ourselves and how far we've moved on.

Either way, I can't exactly say no. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious, even as much as I might like to avoid being teased at. Still, what does he have on his mind? What is he planning? "I guess so," I murmur, raising my shoulders in a light shrug as I cross my arms over my chest, "I mean, I can't exactly pass up the chance of a treasure hunt…"

"Yeah, that's right! That's the spirit, Lira!" His smile broadens, he taps me on the shoulder encouragingly, and then I _know_ something's up. He looks once more to Team Charm and dips by the waist in a low bow. "Please let us join you! Please let us go exploring with you!"

I bow along with him as everyone does the same, continuing to plead. Out of everyone, only Wigglytuff doesn't seem to be interested in going—though really I blame that on him continuing to obsess over his Perfect Apple.

Lopunny giggles at that, "Everyone is so earnest! You are all so adorable!" She shares a look with her teammates in silent conversation. However, as disbelieving as it is, I can tell before she speaks what their answer is. "Of course you may!"

"Yes!" Ri cheers brightly over the rest of the masses shouts of excitement, "Yes! Thank you!"

I'm stunned that a group like Team Charm would allow this. If there's one thing I know, as nice as they are, they tend to take a certain amount of vanity in their work. Part of their reputation stems from competition with other treasure hunters, so you wouldn't think they'd want to invite an _entire Guild_ to join them. Especially not one run by Wigglytuff.

Lopunny steps around to face the entirety of the crowd, raising her voice above them, "Ok, sweeties. We'll go ahead and open the entrance. You can go in after we do. The cave is located southeast of here."

My partner beams at me, "This is great, Lira! Let's get ready in a hurry so we can join in the exploration!"

Right. If we're going to leave, we have to go now. This wasn't exactly what I was expecting to wake up to today, but again, I'm not going to complain. It's an adventure and I'm glad to see that Ri's taking a big step forward. I just don't know what he's up to.

Looks like we're going to have to pack a lot more than I thought…


	32. Chapter 32: An Unown Tongue

I don't think I've ever seen the Guild in a big hurry to get anywhere the way they were right before we all left for Aegis Cave. Well, I say all, but I mean most of us: Everyone _wanted_ to go, but a few people stayed behind to look after the compound. I wouldn't be surprised to find them rushing after us though.

Aegis Cave is set on the southeast side of the Grass Continent, so the trip there takes just a little longer than the trip to Fogbound Lake on foot. Everyone has their own means of getting around—some cut right through the sea—but for Ri and myself it's just a straight passage through the mountains. I daresay we move at a leisurely pace since we can afford to without the worry of holding anybody back. We could've even brought Azalea with us and still would've been fine; however, she and Bidoof ended up partnering together, so it's just the two of us for the trip.

The way to the cave is uneventful, however, the closer we get to it the more I begin to notice how few Pokemon are around. There are Zubat and even a few Machoke, but even their numbers soon begin to thin out the closer to get to what I had _imagined_ to be a natural formation. What we end up finding upon our arrival is what appears to be a temple _fashioned_ out of a cave: The walls are too clean and smooth to be natural and the markings we find along them only confirm that much.

I'm reminded of the temple where Spiritomb lurked in the Dark Future, some ways farther to the north of here. We never visited it again after we came back to the past—we've never really had the spare time to—but right now I can't seem to find much difference in it to the one I'm looking at now besides the color of the rock and the fact that the path slopes down into the earth rather than remaining beneath an open sky.

An uneasy feeling sweeps over me as the sunny, outside world is left behind the deeper we go in. It might be too much of a coincidence to say that the two temples are somehow connected, but why are they even here to begin with? "Ri," I address, summoning an Aura Sphere in the palm of my hand to light the way, "Define 'aegis,' please."

He runs his hand along some of the hieroglyphs to our right, humming to himself thoughtfully before answering, "To summarize, it means 'protection.'"

"Ok…" I murmur, trying to peer forward through the darkness. This tunnel only seems to lead in one direction, so we should be able to meet with a few other teams soon enough at the agreed checkpoint. "So who's protecting what?"

"I don't know," he says, and there's a bubble of excitement to his voice, "but apparently, some people also called this place 'Watchman's Cave.' I don't know why that is either."

 _Doesn't look like there's much of anyone to watch anything from where I'm standing._ Nevertheless, chances are it means that we'll have to face some kind of guardian up ahead—and that could be any type of Pokemon in the world.

Chances are my journal isn't going to be able to help us out in the slightest. Beyond a general study of history and some random notes from when I was little, as well as some information regarding the Time Gears and the Guardians of Light, it only contains the things we've been adding to it about our adventures. This place has nothing to do with any of that. The only thing we can do is use the book to document our journey.

So really we're going into this blind. I could probably afford to be a little more nervous than I am about that, but I think that's pretty much been the entirety of our lives ever since we became an exploration team. Feeling well-prepared for anything anymore has become something of an illusion.

A few lights up ahead let us know beforehand that we're nearing the checkpoint. There, we find that only a few other teams have made it. There's Azalea, Bidoof, Loudred, and Corphish; there's Team Charm; and then there's us. They're all gathered around a large, stone slab centered within a chamber only marginally wider than the pathway stretching behind and ahead of us. Corphish holds a Luminous Orb in one of his claws and an array of colors glitter from a suspended Magical Leaf attack that hovers around Gardevoir. Each individual leaf can only radiate a small amount of light, but together they're a powerful and beautiful show. Logically, it works too since she can unleash the attack at any moment—like with my Aura Sphere. I imagine Team Charm doesn't need much in the way of direction anyway, having two Psychic-types.

"There you are!" Lopunny greets us, moving closer to the stone slab. I could almost laugh at how impatient she sounds, like a little kid going on a scavenger hunt. I guess waiting for one more team to show up was all she could bear, because she goes ahead and explains, "Well, this is Aegis Cave. Beyond this point is unknown territory. No one has ever been inside. Just imagine what mysteries await us ahead. Isn't this exciting, darlings?"

I guess it's hard not to get sold on the idea. Ri smiles over at me and I notice that his tail begins to beat the air. It really does feel like an eternity since we've done any actual exploring. I can't help but feel excited too.

"Hey, hey! This thing looks important somehow!" Corphish presses, motioning his free claw toward the slab.

Bidoof nods along, careful to avoid shaking Azalea off of his back, "Yup, yup. It's got these odd-shaped grooves gouged out of it, by golly."

"It's got a trick to it, I'm sure," Medicham exclaims right after, "There has to be! I'll solve that mystery! You watch me now!"

But the fact that not one of them has figured it out yet only gives me a trickle of doubt. Corphish and Bidoof had a reason for bringing it up: They know that we've been studying dead languages. Ri has mastered some footprint runes since before he arrived at the Guild and we've both be working hard to learn—or in my case review—the language of the Unown.

Which I see some of as we take a few steps closer. Part of the writing had been eaten away by erosion over the passing of years, but it's still recognizable enough to make out pieces of the message.

Despite this though, Lopunny just seems ready to move on ahead, "Let's see who can find the big treasure—or treasures—of this place." She then smirks, "Of course, we'd be disappointed in ourselves in we weren't first! But let's wish each other the best of luck!" Spinning around on her heel, she faces her teammates and exclaims, "Ok, sweeties, we're off!"

And just like that, they dart on ahead of us. As I assumed, they just couldn't bear to wait any longer. I can only guess it's the additional pressure of all of the extra teams: As nice as it was to let us all come along, they probably only did so as a favor to Wigglytuff. Not to mention that we're all still technically rookies compared to them, so they weren't than concerned from the start about us joining in. No matter what though, this is going to be a real competition between all of us.

That point is only stressed further as Loudred bounds on the balls of his feet before racing after them, " _Yeah!_ I'll be the first to find the treasure!"

He's gone before any of the other apprentices can even say a word. I imagine Azalea's just along for the ride, but Bidoof and Corphish look back and forth at us to where the Big Voice Pokemon darted off to. Eventually though, they relent and begin to give chase after him.

I shake my head, propping my hands on my hips and clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth, "And then there were two…" I guess, in the end, they didn't figure the clue to the slab was really all that important. If they hadn't mentioned it, I probably would've done the same thing and ran on ahead. Right now though, I'm just glad to try to put my regained knowledge to the test.

Ri and I work together to read the inscription, and from it we make out one simple word: _Ice._ The rest is written in a modern text: _If you seek passage, close your eyes, then submit your proof._

"What proof?" Ri mumbles, his fingers lacing over his Relic Fragment.

I graze my hands over the surface of the slab, but beyond the short dais it rests on I can't even begin to think of what they'd mean by submitting anything. And ice? That doesn't make any sense unless it means something like there's going to be Ice-types up ahead, but that doesn't fit with the rest of the message. I purse my lips.

Soon enough though, I heave a sigh of defeat, "I guess we'll just try to figure things out as we go." It's not like we haven't had to do that several times over during the course of our careers already. "For now, let's just avoid lagging behind the others."

Ri gives a firm nod in turn, "Right. Let's do our best to be the first ones to the treasure, Lira." With that, he takes my hand in his own and leads the way forward.

My ears perk up at this. Not that I disagree with him, it's just… a little unlike him. Ri doesn't normally care about winning or losing: He's not the sort to make a competition over these sorts of things. Sometimes I do, so maybe that's why he's acting this way: It's strange to hear those words come out of him though.

I won't complain if he's actually getting a small competitive streak: It's just hard for me to believe that. We're Fighting-types, so the aspect of battling that's ingrained into most Pokemon should be even deeper in our nature. Yet for as long as I've known him, Ri's never really been that way. If he loses a spar then sure, it's a little disappointing to him, but for the most part he doesn't seem to care. Why the sudden change of heart?

I guess I can ask him about it later. So long as he doesn't overexert himself, we'll be fine—and I trust him enough to believe that he knows better than that.

The tunnels begin to branch off in a series of confusing paths seemingly without end, and the hieroglyphs lining the walls do nothing to help indicate any sense of direction. After what feels like well over half an hour of wandering around, we see three figures standing up ahead. I can make them out easily in the dim lighting recognizing the swirl of colors from Gardevoir's Magical Leaf in an instant. What I don't expect to recognize is the same stone slab we just left behind. Somehow, we've managed to wander around in a huge circle!

Hearing our footsteps, the trio turns around to face us. "Oh, Team Crusade. You've ended up back here like us," Lopunny sighs. Her attitude is nowhere near as bubbly as it had been moments ago and I can imagine it partially being thanks to the confusion of the situation. "It seems you really do have to solve a mystery in order to move ahead. This is vexing."

Vexing? I'm too busy wondering how we can move forward and end up in the same place we began. The tunnel we came from… It's the same way as when we first entered the temple—I know that by the direction in which the slab is facing—but before it had been a straight path! What happened: Did the tunnels somehow move on their own?! Could we even backtrack if we tried?

"The slab in written in the language of the Unown," Gardevoir muses aloud, "The cave is filled by hordes of Unown… There most certainly is a connection between those two facts."

My partner and I share a look. Hordes? We didn't encounter a single one. In the very least though, that gives us something more to go on. Once again, I step over to explain the writing on the stone for myself and those same three letters pop out at me: I-C-E. Ice. There's nothing involving ice in those tunnels, so it's not so much a typical clue as… Team Charm is too focused on trying to decode the message themselves to pay us much mind, so they don't notice when I give my partner a faint grin of success.

"'If you seek passage, close your eyes, then submit your proof.' Well, that's not much to go on," their team leader pouts, "I closed my eyes and that did nothing. We must be overlooking something. We'll go into the cave tunnels and search again."

What if it's not a clue? What if, instead, it's the actual code we need to move forward? It would mean that the answer is right in front of us! I-C-E.

"I take it you've got another one of your crazy plans?" Ri smirks once the trio of treasure hunters are well out of earshot.

"I think we're about to go hunt down some Unown."

No sooner have those words passed my lips, a mythical, almost electronic buzz echoes down the hall we just came from—gaining in volume. I brace myself for an Electric-type—possibly another exploration team—coming our way, but instead I see two figures that are each at least twenty centimeters smaller than we are. They're similar in that they each have an in the shape of a perfect circle at the cores of their bodies and that they're both a dark grey; however, the appendages that frame their figures are different sizes and are bent differently. The first has a trio of appendages that mark his right side with only one marking his left: The second's circumference the entirely of his body. To rephrase that, they're an 'E' and 'O' Unown.

Neither of them look happy at us for being here and they show it as their eyes emanate a red light as they use Hidden Power to summon a wave of spheres of energy to fire our way. If either of us had thought to try to reason with them, we soon give up on that plan as quickly as it would have appeared. The two of us veer away from the twin blasts by lunging to opposite sides of the chamber. Before they can get too close for comfort, I catapult my Aura Sphere at them to keep them at bay.

"Copycat!" Ri orders. As a white light envelopes my body, I shift my legs further apart and brace my arms at my waist as I feel that same energy from seconds ago swarm around me and manifest into the same orbs they had flung our way. The only difference is that I notice a tinge of blue and white at the hearts of ours. Since Hidden Figure's type is random for any Pokemon, I can only assume the slight change in appearance being the result of our aura.

I don't feel it take anywhere near as much energy as an Aura Sphere though as it leaves me. The combination of our attacks hits true to our targets.

I don't expect what we see next though. Rather than press forward against us, the pair of Unown move back to the walls of the tunnel. At first I assume they're teleporting, but their bodies actually _merge_ with the flat surface of the rock in a sudden, strange blur. The way they vanish reminds me of wiping away a sand or chalk design: Gone with a flourish and in an instant.

The clanks of rock against rock breaks me out of my confused daze from where I continue to stare at the place on the wall in which they disappeared. My eyes move downward, and there I see two stones—each no bigger than the size of my palm—lying on the floor in the place of the two ancient Pokemon.

Ri moves forward to collect them, and I watch on in silence as his eyes widen before he lifts one of them up in the air pointedly. "This one's marked with an 'E'! And the other's an 'O'! It looks like we found our clues, Lira!"

* * *

With how many different variations of Unown there are, even with our aura to help us, we easily spend another hour looking for the right ones and hoping that they'll drop the pieces we need. We put our focus into finding them rather than our way around, knowing that eventually we'll just end up back where we started anyway. And we do, only this time with two additional stones marked by an 'I' and a 'C' to complete the set.

I can't believe how giddy I feel as we once again step before the dais and close our eyes as instructed. Almost instantly, I can _feel_ the stones we've gathered responding by their subtle vibrations through the fabric of our Treasure Bag. I fumble to get them out and before I can even begin to think of what to do with them, some force tugs them from my grip one by one and a steady, pulsating hum resonates from the slab.

We step back as we feel the slab shift before us, and I go ahead and risk opening my eyes again just in time to watch it vanish in no different a way than the Unown did. In its place, however, is a stairwell that seems to spiral into a crystalline abyss. From it, a rush of cold air pushes against us and I shiver in reaction.

As I continue to gape in amazement, I hear Ri suck in a terse breath at my side. As shell-shocked as we both are, he's the first to release a loud cheer of success and take the first step forward. I just shake my head. _I didn't think all of those lessons were actually going to pay off like this…_ I really only wanted to study the language of the Unown since I had already done it back in the Dark Future. In terms of dead languages, it's so old that anyone who actually spoke it at some point in time should be a fossil by now. Beyond our involvement with the Time Gears and learning it as a hobby, who knew that it'd still be useful to us to this extreme.

As I follow my partner down the archaic, winding stairwell, I get the feeling that this won't be the last test of our knowledge either.

 _(( **Author's Note:** Quick thing about Hidden Power, since the research for it was a little weird... Yes, it still changes type and power; however, the move is really weird in the Mystery Dungeon game because it's completely random for each dungeon you go into rather than based on the Pokemon that uses it. And it looks the same no matter what despite how it would look in any other form shown in other Pokemon media. So that's why it works the way it works.)) _


	33. Chapter 33: A Contest of Strength

The blast of cold we first felt at the top of the stairs is nothing compared to the biting temperatures of the lower level the deeper we head down into it. Even with fur, it's beyond comfort, and I'm reminded of being back on Sky Peak. My breath dancing in front of me is only further proof of the freezing conditions. If anyone has made it this far before us, I think that they would turn back from the cold alone.

Ri's quick to pick up on my discomfort. "You packed that blanket right? Why don't you wrap it around you?" he offers.

"And then what? Use it as a cape to get the Unowns' attention?" I quip back jokingly, "I'll pass. In a place like this, I think it'll hinder more than it would help."

I'm a little jealous of Ri's higher tolerance for the cold. I mean, I doubt he's a fan of it, but he doesn't seem all that bothered by it either. I'd put it on the fact that he's from the mountains, but you'd think I'd have some better tolerance for it than I do from growing up in a world _without a sun_.

As strange as the luxuries were, it's times like these where I could appreciate the ingenuity of human beings to come up with things like air conditioning and hot, running water. I never really figured out how they actually worked, but even if I had had the chance to learn more, I don't think I would've understood it. So much of human kind's technology remains a foreign concept for me and, looking back, I'm amazed I was able to fit in among them as well as I could during my return to the future. Pokemon here are years—many even centuries—behind them. Beyond natural powers and orbs that can temporarily alter the weather, there's probably not a chance of Pokemon being able to mimic that technology.

I can nearly feel the cold travel up the path of my foot and throughout the rest of my body when we finally reach level ground and my toes touch the icy floor beneath me. There isn't actually any ice to be seen, but the rock surfaces of the wide chamber that we step into have a certain gleam to them that is reminiscent of it. I'll bet that there's an adjacent chamber further in, and beyond it no doubt another labyrinth like on the level above. Blocking the way, however, is a massive wall and a towering shape that looks like a block of ice.

The longer I look at it, the more alive it seems to be. A pair of short, thick spikes at its base holds up the entirety of its weight, and four thinner ones in with a more cylinder shape juts out of its back. A trio of crystalline shapes end on what appears to be a pair of bulky arms, and seven dots create an intersecting pattern on the front side of its figure. It looks as though someone took the some of the large formations from the Crystal Cave and stuck them together to create this behemoth.

I flinch back, staring mutely as the figure suddenly jerks upward only to hover above the floor and the dots spark to life. Before I even know how to react, I feel a hand clamp around my wrist and my body tugged to the side just as a beam of frost is fired our way. Ri pulls me out of range in the nick of time and we both move farther away as the shape continues to move. It really is alive!

"I thought he looked familiar," Ri grimaces, "Lira, that's a Regice!"

Regice: The Iceberg Pokemon. I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him to have known what he looks like before now, but I think I remember studying about him just as I had other legendaries. I know the rumor that his body is so cold that not even magma could melt him. I know his species typically has high defenses, but poor speed. I know that they're not exactly known for showing much personality, which is illustrated by his lack of facial features and the little to no emotion in his voice as he exclaims in a loud, but dull monotone, "If you want to go on, show that you have the power."

With a mechanical wave of his arms, he summons a swarm of boulders enveloped by a silvery light and chucks them at us. There's plenty of room to dodge, but nowhere to hide. There's nothing to duck behind if we need a second to collect ourselves. My feet skid upon the slick floor when I land after jumping a safe distance away, and I have to remember to dig my claws into the ground carefully to keep myself standing.

We've faced worse legendaries, so there's no hesitation in my movements as I summon a new Aura Sphere into the palm of my hand and launch it right back at the behemoth. He's slow and ponderous enough that there's no point to him even trying to avoid it: He takes the attack head on, jerking back before rocking forward as he steadies himself in an instant. I grimace. Of course it's going to take more than that to bring him down.

I share a faint glance with Ri and we move into action simultaneously, the both of us charging forward to use Force Palm against him. I don't see our mistake until it's too late to change tactics. No sooner do we get within range, Regice swings out at us using Hammer Arm to bat us back. It feels like being struck by a tree and I feel the air wisp from my lungs on contact before I crash to the ground. Ri recovers faster than I do, bracing himself with a strained grunt as he bounces back to try to use Force Palm once more—this time landing the hit perfectly against our opponent's abdomen.

The one, good thing of getting pummeled with that kind of attack is being able to deal double the damage right back at the Ice-type. Picking myself up I lunge forward again, only this time while using Counter. I feel the aura around me charging as I swing my body around to land a fierce kick just above the series of dots that line Regice's 'face.' The placement of the attack combined with the power behind the blow is enough to throw him off balance this time.

Once again, he uses Ancient Power against the two of us. At this range, there's no chance for him to miss. A maelstrom of boulders rain down on us, smaller this time but in greater numbers. Even with a type advantage, we have to brace ourselves using Endure against the sheer onslaught. I can only imagine he's gained a power boost from using the move for it to be so severe compared to the first time.

"Lira, up!" Ri orders. I see him running the short distance from me and help close it, bracing myself even before I place my foot within his cupped hands. No sooner is this done am I airborne, flung up toward the ceiling and above Regice. I turn my body to face him and fire off another duo of Aura Spheres. He shifts control over the rocks in attempts to use them to block my attack. As a result, one of the spheres erupts in an explosion of dust as it collides with one of the boulders mid-flight; however, the other makes it past them and strikes Regice against his side.

Ri propelled me enough so that I end up landing behind the legendary in a crouch. Regice swings his fist at me in attempts to use Hammer Arm once more, but I duck low enough to dodge it. He positions himself to keep the both of us from attacking him from the back.

Since he can use Hammer Arm, it's hard to close in on him without some kind of advantage, but I'd hate to keep using Aura Sphere and waste all of my energy this early in: Who knows what else we're bound to face after this if we keep heading deeper within the temple. If I had mastered Blaze Kick by now, it'd be a game-changer, but since that's not an option all we can really do is still with Fighting-type moves.

Issuing a low growl of challenge, all I can think of as I charge Regice for a third time is that in the very least I've taken worst hits. As insane and poorly thought as it is—racing toward the behemoth without any real attack prepared in advance—my partner is quick to pick up on my madness and does the same.

Counter isn't as versatile as Copycat, but it isn't as stressful on the body either. As expected, Regice uses Hammer Arm—only this time we're ready for it and take it head on. It still hurts, but we don't have a problem rebounding and finding the wide opening he leaves us after his attack. Another charged feeling: Another well-placed kick. The Ice-type has been holding himself up like a fortress against us, but now he releases a low whir as if in pain as I drive my foot against his hulking form and propel myself back to land on my feet once more. Ri does similarly, jumping higher and aiming for the space above the dots just as I had earlier, and hits his mark.

Regice teeters, wildly swinging his arm at Ri in another attempt to hit him only for my partner to veer out of reach and hurry to my side. As we catch our breath, we brace ourselves for another attack as the Iceberg Pokemon then begins to hover forward. His arms swing upward, and—

And that's it. The next thing we know, a vivid, white light engulfs him and we have to shield our eyes to avoid being blinded by it. I curse under my breath, and by the time we can open our eyes again, he's gone. Just like that, Regice has vanished.

It takes us both a minute for what's happened to settle over us: Everything's just so quite now that, if it wasn't for how winded we both are, I think I could easily blame the entire battle on one of my visions. A shared look with my partner though is all it takes to tell me that what we just went through is just as real as all of the other crazy things we've experienced.

"I swear, if another legendary comes out of nowhere and says that was all just an illusion, I think I'm going to scream…" I mumble under my breath.

Ri snorts good-naturedly, squatting with his hands resting on his knees, "I think that Regice was a clear enough sign that we've got a lot waiting for us up ahead. They're usually guardians, right? Along with a Regirock and Registeel."

I nod, but I don't really know much about their being guardians so much as legendary titans. That means we're facing two more of them—a Rock-type and a Steel-type—along with how many other Unown might be lurking around. We've still got the type advantage against the legendaries, but their defenses are still going to be pretty tough to beat.

My Aura Sphere is one of my better attacks, so if I'm going to need to use it against them, I'm going to have to use it sparingly. I'm not a fan of relying on my aura to find my way around, but if we're going to come upon another labyrinth and if there's no going back, then I guess I can avoid wasting energy by using the move for a light. Besides, together, Ri and I can probably find our way easily enough—even though we haven't evolved.

"If there's any treasure here, it must be amazing if it has Pokemon like these guarding it…" Ri's ears are slightly pinned back, like he's nervous, but his tail is also thrashing against the air.

Looking further ahead, I see that the wall that had been blocking our way is gone now too. Based on the grooves in the floor, I guess it must've been lowered when that light appeared and when Regice vanished. We can continue from here.

A clapping noise suddenly cuts through the silence. I look behind me to find three figures just now stepping down from the path from the stairwell behind us. Three recognizable figures: The members of Team Charm. Wearing as pleasant a smile as ever, Lopunny leads her team over to us. "That was good work!" she compliments, "You handled that battle with superb aplomb."

 _And where were you?!_ I want to demand. Obviously, they were watching us from the sidelines, but they didn't decide until _now_ to come out of hiding?! There's not even anywhere down here to hide!

"You're going to make us look bad if we don't pick up the pace!" Medicham smirks.

Gardevoir nods to that, chuckling, "This has become unusually exciting for me!"

 _It might've been even_ more _exciting for you if_ you _got to battle the giant Ice-type…_ Again though, I hold my tongue. Besides their being the Guildmaster's friends, even if I'm not a fangirl, I do still hold some respect for them. They're great treasure hunters and they know how to use their combined strengths and to their advantage. However, I also can't forget that they probably didn't get as far as they have without stepping on a few toes. Like ours just now…

"We'll beat you to solving the next mystery!" Lopunny promises with a sly wink as she motions her team onward, "We're off!"

I don't want to call them manipulative, but at this point I wouldn't put it past them if we learned that the only reason they let those of us in the Guild come along was so that they could use us as cannon fodder. Well, we didn't cross the continent for nothing: I'll make certain of that. Biting the inside of my lower lip, I begin to follow them only for my partner to stop me mid-stride.

"If that's how they want to play things," Ri grins at me, "then we'll let _them_ handle the next legendary. We know there's more than one, so we've got time. Let's just rest up for a bit first."

Right: We don't want to exhaust ourselves too much if we do end up having to fight Regirock or Registeel. And another thing, we haven't seen our fellow Guildmates since we first stepped into the temple. If the worst happened, I'm sure at least one of them has an Escape Orb or we can go looking for them later, but it's hard not to want to wait and see if they'll make it this far in too. After all, they're usually right behind us on missions like this.

We walk a little bit further, if only because of the warm air that seeps from the tunnel ahead, and stop at a room that—just as I expected—mimics the chamber with the first stone slab that we had seen. The only difference is that the color of the rock is lighter here than on the level above us. While I sit against the wall and fish out a couple of Oran berries, Ri tries to translate the slab on his own.

"R… O, C… K. 'Rock.' It's the same kind of puzzle as before. We just have to find more Unown and those stones that they dropped." I toss him one of the two berries as he moves away from the slab to sit beside me. "By the looks of it, Regirock's next and then we'll have to battle Registeel."

"It's a good day to be a Fighting-type," I sigh before taking a bite of my own share of the fruit. I still worry a little about Team Charm's head start, but I'm hoping Ri's right and this small break won't set us back too much.

We always had a rivalry with Team Salacious, but I never really considered us being competitive against other exploration teams before now. As I've said before, Ri's never been that competitive to begin with and I've simply never cared all that much. The only other time we had really given this sort of thing some thought had been during the race to Sky Peak—and we just had fun getting to go there anyway. I wonder if the slight change is partly because, by all means, we're in the big leagues now. The competition is fiercer than it was with just our Guildmates and we're just naturally taking to it.

Then again, it's hard to be competitive over anything when you've got the world resting on your shoulders. Compared to everything we went through before now, these types of explorations are more like games. We're not going to take them as seriously or be overly prideful about them: It's just a fun contest of skill.

I don't know what that means for us, but I do know I still want to beat Team Charm. Respecting them and appreciating that they even let us tag along doesn't mean we should hold anything back. The thought alone makes me impatient, and even though we've only been resting for a short while all I can do is think about how eager I am to get moving again.


	34. Chapter 34: Breaking Ground

As expected, the next labyrinth and the level following it followed the same pattern: Finding the stones marked by the Unown and then battling one of the trio of guardians—first Regirock, now Registeel. Also not to our surprise, no matter where we walk or how often we loop back, we end up in the same chamber by a slab on booth levels. Even the stairs to the floors above us have vanished. There's no turning back, so we have no choice but to keep carrying ourselves forward and hope for the best. Again, we have an orb, but I can't imagine us going anywhere until we can find the others.

Team Charm left us a note on Regirock's level saying that they'd gone ahead, but we haven't seen Azalea, Bidoof, Corphish, or Loudred. I imagine the latter group is still far behind us while our seniors are farther along. They'd almost have to be for Regirock to have gotten enough time to recover to force us to have fought him too. I can only hope, since there wasn't any kind of note when we entered Registeel's chamber, that we somehow managed to get ahead of them, but I have a feeling that isn't the case. He's the last of the trio too, so they could be at the end of Aegis Cave by now.

The fight against Registeel isn't much different from the previous two we've already faced: Just as with the others, his defenses are strong and we end up sticking to our strategy from earlier. _"If you want to go on, show that you have the power,"_ he had said when we walked toward him. That's the third time we'd heard it. I've been thinking that they mean the strength to beat them, but the more repetitive this gets the more I begin to think that there's something else to what they're saying. What power do we have to have? And against what?

All of this runs through my head as I flip back to avoid Registeel's use of Explosion to summon a massive eruption of fire and rock within a large radius surrounding him. Any closer and Ri and I would've both been swept up in it too—even the ceiling rattles from the blast, cascading a fine layer of dust over us all. Even though we managed to dodge it, I feel the heat of the intense blaze swarm over me and the rocks pelt us from afar. I shield myself, but I'm struck in the arm and gut as smaller pebbles cut into my skin as they fly by.

That kind of move would usually knock the user out in an instant. Even with its power, I know that Ri and I aren't going to attempt using Copycat to mimic it since it would be suicidal for either of us—that's the kind of power it has—but I can only guess that Registeel has the endurance to master it since he's still standing. Thanks to that alone, he's stronger than the other two titans we've faced.

He also moves a bit faster rather than remaining stationary as they others had for the majority of the past two battles. Even awkward as it has to be to maneuver his hulking form, he charges the short distance to us with an outstretched limb, preparing to us Hammer Arm. I fire an Aura Sphere at him, but he just keeps coming: He gives it just about as much notice as a leaf on the wind!

With one swing, Ri and I both end up being knocked back into the far wall. I hear Ri grunt in pain and a strangled cry passes from my own lips as my spine collides with the rocky surface. Not a second after sliding to the ground, I fire another Aura Sphere to keep our opponent at bay.

Ri's the first to spring back into his feet, ricocheting off of the wall to send himself flying as he uses Counter and barrels straight at Registeel's chest. The two end up stumbling back, but Registeel uses to opportunity to trap Ri in his hold. My partner then grits his teeth to hold back a hurt cry as the behemoth then uses Charge Beam to send electric currents coursing through him.

Pushing myself up, a low growl resounds from my throat and I lunge forward—hefting myself up the titan's form until I'm balancing myself against the length of him arm. Clenching onto his middle finger, I bend my weight back as if I'm going to use Circle Throw to force him to let go of Ri. I end up tumbling over, twisting him arm enough so that it follow's my descent as I land on the ground with my legs spread apart to keep myself steady. There's no sign of discomfort, even as he tries to wrestle himself away from my stubborn grasp and knock me back.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Ri manifests a staff of aura into his free hand and smashes it against Registeel's head with a brutal swing. The type advantage works in his favor and the power of the attack is enough to cause him to jerk away and release him. Ri lands behind me, beating Registeel once more—the time against him abdomen—as we both duck under after swing of the latter's Hammer Arm.

It's my turn now to use Counter as Ri continues his assault with Bone Rush. Jumping above them, I twist veer above Registeel and curls my hands into fists as I drive them down on top of his skull. I feel him jerk forward and use the outmost shell of his body to vault myself over him—back to my partner's side.

There's no small measure of frustration the wells up inside of me when we see his recover from that. The nerves in my hands scream from striking the hardened metal of his form. "How is he still standing?!" Ri pants in an exasperated tone. However, there's no chance for either of us to answer that as Registeel uses Ancient Power to hurdle a swarm of boulders at us.

Lucky for us, this is the third time we've had to go through this thanks to his Ice and Rock-type counterparts also using it in our fights with them. We still get hit, but we use the boulders to our advantage by jumping on some of them and using them to propel us high enough into the air to avoid the rest. I nearly scrape the ceiling and as I descend, I release a barrage of Aura Spheres upon him. Ri follows up the attack by bringing his staff down hard against the Steel-type's skull as he lands.

It is then that I notice Registeel's left leg buckle slightly before he rights himself. Finally, we're wearing him out! "The legs, Ri! Go for the legs!" I shout at my partner. While he's faster than expected, it still doesn't make up for his ungainly form: If there's even a small chance of knocking him off of his feet, then we might as well try.

Registeel uses Hammer Arm for a third time, but even as my partner brings up his staff to block the full force behind the attack at the last second, he's thrust back two meters from the titan. I jump into position around them, summoning one more Aura Sphere into the palms of my hands. If I can send it hurdling at Registeel at the right spot and with enough power as Ri attacks from the opposite side…

I focus my aura into a denser and denser form, allowing the power to concentrate into a larger sphere than what I usually draw out of me. It's been a while since I've had to focus my energy like this and I've already drawn a lot of aura out of me already from the previous fights. I can probably keep it up for a while longer, but I don't want to have to really on just what's left in my stores of energy.

I spot Ri's gaze catching my own and he's quick to sprint forward, charging Registeel with his staff wielded in both hands. Registeel tries to maneuver his body sideways to keep watch on the both of us, swinging his arm at my partner again in attempts to keep him back, but Ri drops down to the floor and rolls the remaining distance—whipping his body around like a sling until his close enough to drive his staff against the legendary's weaker leg.

I do what I can to time the attack properly, releasing the Aura Sphere once Ri's close enough to strike. The attacks hit almost simultaneously, and my partner pushes himself out of the way as Registeel in knocked to the earth. I hurry to them both, drawing my hand at the ready to use Force Palm in case that still wasn't enough.

No sooner do I step close, however, does a white light cascade over us—the third time that it's happened today. By now, we've gotten accustomed to it: It means that we passed the trial. Sure enough, after it's faded away, we just end up staring at an empty space where Registeel was only a second ago.

I take a deep breath, resting against my knees and wiping away a layer of sweat that's gathered on my forehead. Three major battles in a row—and against legendaries no less. I hope whatever is at the end of these caves in worth it. "Between these guys and all of the Unown," I sigh, "I'd say we've made up for all of that lost time when we were just hanging around Treasure Town."

"I'm kind of surprised that you didn't try to use Blaze Kick, since it would've been pretty effective." After taking a minute to catch his own breath, Ri dissipates his staff and pulls his arms back in a long stretch.

I've avoided using Blaze Kick because I've still got a lot of improvements to make before I can master it. Outside of what I've mimicked from using Copycat, it's unlike anything I've ever attempted before—not even memories from my days in the resistance in the Dark Future can back me up for a lack of experience this time. I've always known that it's thanks to Ri's help that I was able to easily adapt to turning into a Pokemon and mastering moves, and then I figured my previous training only helped since I was a Fighting-type despite having been a human. If I had turned into anything else though, I don't think I could've picked up on some of the abilities that other Pokemon just naturally can like I'm able to as a Riolu. Summoning fire… This is a whole new territory for me.

"But anyway, that should be the last of them. I don't know if there's going to be another puzzle, but we have to be almost to the end of the cave."

Just when we think we can move on ahead, a trio of new lights bathe the dark chamber in a sudden, blinding haze. It startles us both enough that we rear back, the two of us still all reaction from the most recent fight. Out of the battles with the trio of legendaries when they vanish, nothing like this has happened yet! What? Do we have to fight them all at once now?!

Instead of that, however, what comes as a greater shock is that, when the lights fade, we find three familiar shapes sprawled along the earth in front of us. I feel a lump form in my throat and my eyes widen at the sight of each member of Team Charm lying in an unconscious heap on the ground. Even with them right in front of us though, I can hardly believe what I'm seeing. Sure, I can see maybe Lopunny or Gardevoir having some trouble against Registeel, but with Medicham's help their chances against him were a lot better than ours.

All at once, they begin to stir. Lopunny's the first to shakily push herself up off the ground with a weary groan leaving her. "W-What happened to us?" she mutters under her breath. Ri and I split apart, the two of us trying to revive Medicham and Gardevoir as the Normal-type blinks her eyes and stares at the area surrounding us with a confused look on her face. "We were fighting Registeel here… Then Medicham got into trouble… After that I just don't know. I don't know what came next."

I grimace. Is this whole set-up another trap in these caves? You can't find your way back out on your own once you enter and if you lose a battle you're spirited away by those lights?! And what about the others? Is this why no one else has caught up with us yet? I don't want to believe it, but the chances of that terrify me. On top of that, I can't believe we took on all three of the guardians without even knowing we've been putting ourselves on the line to this kind of extreme. But how did Team Charm not manage on their own? Sure, Ri and I are both Fighting-types and aura users, but we didn't do anything special: We just used our regular attacks.

I don't know if Lopunny can read my panicked thoughts or not, or even if she's reached the same conclusion as I have—all three members of Team Charm still look as if they're in a partial daze—but she gives the two of us a kind smile. "I can see that you saved us though, Team Crusade," she nods appreciatively, "Thank you! We were in a bind!"

As the Rabbit Pokemon had said, Medicham does seem to be in the worst condition of the three. Her voice in uncharacteristically low and she keeps her head down as if it's hurting her. "We owe you one, Team Crusade," she eventually mumbles, "If you didn't show up in time to save us that would've been it for us."

"That is so true," Gardevoir sighs, checking her arms as she rubs the soreness from her limbs, "I'm afraid we can never repay you for this…"

I share a stern look with Ri. From the way they act, it's like they don't even know that they had completely vanished at some point before we climbed down to this level. They think we walked right in just at the right moment during their fight with Registeel. How could we even begin to explain that to them though?

My partner's ears pin back and I know he has to be weighing in the sudden, dark reality of our situation. "Something's wrong about this place…" is all he says, "We've already come so far that I don't want to turn back, but we need to find the others."

That's right. If they haven't already given up and left—in the very least, Loudred would be too stubborn to—there's a chance that they've solved the puzzles with the Unown and could be fighting a respawned Regice or Regirock as we speak. Maybe they've already fought them. Maybe they're right behind us or maybe they've suffered the fate that Team Charm almost did.

But this place makes it impossible to go back for them. From the minute we stepped inside, our only choice has been to move forward. Arceus, at this point I'm even beginning to doubt that an Escape Orb would even work! "We have to keep moving," I counter, "Maybe if we find whatever is at the end of this place, we'll find a way to regroup with everyone else and a way out of here."

What kind of thing is even worth this much security? I bet Grovyle had an easier job gathering the Time Gears than any normal person would trying to make it in and out of here. Could the treasure be something _like_ the Time Gears? I'm almost hesitant to know if we're getting ourselves into another crazy quest.

"I know what we can do!" Lopunny exclaims, snapping her fingers from the sudden idea, "How about letting us back you up, Team Crusade?" She sighs and continues, "Yes, I think we've already failed on our own exploration. So don't worry! We won't steal your glory—or your treasure!"

I don't know how she can be this peppy after whatever apparent thrashing she and her team took before we got here. I don't know if they could back us up in their condition either. Still, we have no idea what we're going to face next.

Ri speaks for the both of us as he raises his shoulders in a faint shrug, "The more the merrier. At this point, it's probably for the best if we all stick together anyway."

"So let's go! Our goal can't be far off now!"

I don't know what they think our goal is, but I'll settle for making it out of this place alive. We can do our research and figure out why this place is like this after we're all well away from it.


	35. Chapter 35: Respect Among Rivals

Compared to what we've been through so far, calling the pathway into the next chamber 'direct' would be putting it lightly. Then again, it helps that we don't have to spend time hunting down stones from the Unown. After a quick rest—checking over Team Charm's injuries as well as our own—we simply power our way through. The pathway leading away from where we fought Registeel doesn't take us to another slab with another clue to read, but instead spills us out into a wide chamber lit by cracks along the ceiling. The sheer size of it alone is amazing, but calcite stones among the yellowed bricks that this space is fashioned from create a path leading to a mass of shapes just a little ahead of us.

I think they're statues, nine of them in all and each of a greyish-brown color. I recognize the bell-shaped forms of four of them as Bronzong and another four as Hitmonlee, but I have no idea what the last one is. It's a towering figure, bordering on four meters in height and standing on a pair of short, stocky legs with feet that remind me of bushes and rectangular patterns that run along the length of his arms and torso. Three pairs of gemlike spots run down his chest and wide bands mark his shoulders and wrists.

Looking down, I notice a faint indentation in the bricks ahead and step closer, kneeling to brush away the heavy layer of dust coating the ground and reveal another set of words in the language of the Unown. It takes me a bit longer to translate it than the simple clues on the floors above, but I can roughly translate: _Here stands Regigigas, a lord of the titans among the Colossal, and his servants. He sanctioned his children to protect this land._

 _Regigigas…_ He looks similar to the previous trio of legendaries we just fought our way through. By children, could the message mean them? It's almost terrifying to think about.

"This appears to be the last chamber…" Lopunny comments as we take another look around. I can hear the disappointment in her voice. It's not like I can't understand it though. The room is impressive, but, beyond the statues, it's empty. I'd hate to think that we've gone through everything that we did for nothing. More than that—I _can't_ believe that it was all for nothing. We've been through too much to just assume that this is it. There _has_ to be another clue, something we're just not seeing.

Weaving his way around the statues, Ri takes a look at each one of them; however, I can tell from the look on his face that he's not spotting anything worthwhile among them. Once more, I look down at the inscription on the ground, this time running my fingers along the length of the brick. "Maybe the exit's hidden," I offer, though I'm mostly just thinking aloud, "Maybe there's a weak point in the rocks that leads to a tunnel, or maybe a pressure plate."

"Just be careful not to activate any kind of trap," my partner quips, shooting me a faint smirk before he begins to search in another area.

Gardevoir steps away from us to walk along the path of one of the far walls, "I'll check for any hidden doors."

It's a big chamber, but there's five of us altogether. So long as we're all thorough we might just be able to find a way how to move forward. I'm careful not to miss a thing as I trace my fingers across the grain of the stonework, but I can't find anything out of the ordinary. That is, until I move a little closer to the statues and find a subtly deeper line carved along the path of a group of bricks. It's a large space, easily taking up a third of the pathway from its center. My brows furrow as I continue to feel my way around it. Still nothing. It doesn't look like there's any kind of secret button or switch and there's no chance of us trying to tear the bricks from the floor.

Why even build a place like this in the first place? I try to review all that I know about the titan legendaries in my mind. I don't know anything about Regigigas—this is the first time I've ever even heard of the Pokemon—but I know that the other three are a trio of protectors, their rare species existing to preserve ruins like these or to keep people from harming sacred lands. For example, although I didn't have a run-in with them, I remember sensing their kind in the future—at the Tree of Beginning. I wouldn't be surprised to hear if there were more of them guarding some of the other borders to these regions. But what's so important for any of them to stick around here? And why is Regigigas here with them?

A sudden, loud clang—of something that apparently hasn't been messed with in centuries—reverberates from within the chamber, startling me out of my thoughts. Snapping my gaze to the left, I see that Medicham has found a pressure plate, the whole of it already sunken a few centimeters into the floor.

"You two, _look out!_ "

There's no further warning besides that single cry from one of Team Charm's members as a golden beam crossed with streaks of red, pink, and green is fired my way. I recognize is as Extrasensory, tucking and rolling my body out of range as it whizzes by. From the corner of my sight, I see Ri leap away from the statues as a similar beam of light rockets toward him. It misses him, continuing a direct path into the wall on our far right with a maelstrom of dust and rock raining down from it on contact.

Any question I might've raised is lodged in my throat by what happens next: The statues begin to alter. The Bronzong take on a rich blue coloration and begin to levitation off of the ground; the Hitmonlee stretch their stiff limbs, a fire in their eyes that reflects the life within them on top of their desire to fight; and Regigigas takes on strong notes of yellow, green, red, aqua and grey overtop the predominant layer of black and white across his body.

"Those stone statues! They're alive!" Medicham's eyes widen and, all while keeping her gaze pinned on the figures before us, she shakily lifts herself onto her feet.

Gardevoir runs up to rejoin her teammate on her opposing side, but the rest of us remain where we are. I clench my fists at my sides. I wasn't expecting a _fourth_ titan—I don't know if any of us were. Not only that, but there are eight other Pokemon we have to fight too. I've already used so much of my aura that I'm not sure if I'll be able to rely on it as much as I have previously.

The spots lined across Regigigas' chest flare to life. _Arceus, are those his_ eyes _?!_ "Those who seek the treasures sleeping in the ground," he booms in a thrumming bass, "Show all of your power!"

As he extends his arms in a slow, robotic, beckoning motion, his followers react as though on command—splitting apart amongst themselves and effectively cutting us off from one another as they attack. Gardevoir and Medicham are close enough to fight together, but Lopunny, Ri, and I are each on our own. Before I know it, a Bronzong and a Hitmonlee are looming over me, so much that I can barely make out my partner and our companions fighting somewhere beyond them.

 _One with a type advantage, the other a fully-evolved Fighting-type,_ I snarl, _Well, this should be fun…_

"…up for this battle!" I can just make out Lopunny shouting; however, the fight's already started. The Hitmonlee drives his leg straight down at me. Shifting my stance, I brace myself for the impact—capturing the limb with a grunt resounding from my throat and using Circle Throw to ram him into Bronzong before the latter can use a second attack against me.

Unfortunately, it doesn't do much good besides giving me a couple of brief seconds to plan my next move. The Bronzong may be nearly as slow and ponderous as the titans, but the Hitmonlee is far from it. I want to get rid of my type disadvantage fast, but I'd also bet that the former has the greatest defense of the pair. So all things considered, it might just be best to take on my fellow Fighting-type just to get rid of at least one of the two quickly.

The Hitmonlee is faster to recover than the other, throwing himself back onto his own feet and using Brick Break. Wielding his hand like a knife, it takes on a vivid white glow as it cuts through the air. I manage to block it, but he soon follows with a Rolling Kick that takes my legs out from under me and sends me collapsing to the floor. Taking in a sharp breath through my teeth, I smack the ground with the flat of my palms upon the harsh landing and propel my weight to one side as he tries to swing his leg at me for a third time.

There's no chance for me to pick myself back up as all the force of an iron beam slams into me and sends me skidding across the grounds. I hiss as I feel the rough bricks scrape against my flesh and as the dust that had been collecting in a thick layer for so long bites into the new wounds as if in vengeance for being disturbed. I brace my arms against the earth and look up to see the Bronzong spiraling in place as he withholds a Gyro Ball attack. I snarl. I didn't account for the additional speed and power of that kind of move!

No sooner does he see that I'm still able to push myself up, he charges forward again. I remain low, holding my ground as I brace myself to use Counter against him. Again, I'm knocked back, but the effect of the move is strong enough to repel my opponent in the opposite direction—sending him spiraling like a top into one of the other Bronzong that Lopunny is fighting. I don't know how much damage she took out on the other one, but the combined damage seems to have done enough to the both of them to take them out of the fight.

The Hitmonlee closes in, but he also keeps a certain distance. I guess that, without backup, he wants to be a little more careful. Without tearing my eyes away from him, I steadily get back onto my feet. I can't remember a specific time when I fought against another Fighting-type seriously outside of training with Ri, so it's hard for me to gage how strong we are compared to each other. Even with my experience from the Battle Royale from my time in the future, I was only fighting other human beings: To battle another experienced Fighting-type—no, he's probably even more experienced—with all the power that they can apply to their attacks is something different. You just can't compare the two.

I guess he just gets tired of waiting for one of us to falter in our stances, because the Kicking Pokemon finally just sprints at me. Leaping up high, I toss myself over him to land behind him, spin on my heel, and drive my hand against his spine as I use Force Palm. He stumbles, but it's going to take a little more than that to bring him down.

The Hitmonlee lashes out another Rolling Kick and I weave under the wide swing of his leg. Propelling myself forward while using Quick Attack, I then ram my elbow into his abdomen. At this range, not only is it impossible to miss, but it gives the blow all the gruesome impact of a bullet with little risk of lost momentum. The moment hesitance as his body subtlety dips forward from the blow is the second I need to slip my arm around his leg and hurdle him upon the ground with a slightly altered version of the Circle Throw I'm used to preforming—sweeping my body around the limb and pulling it in a twisting fashion to flip him over onto his front side.

A pained cry pulls my focus away from my opponent and I turn my gaze in Ri's direction. By the other, larger, Hitmonlee nearby him, it looks as though he's been able to handle his own so far; however, he's the most isolated from the rest of us—a fact that Regigigas seems to take to his advantage as he barricades Ri from the rest of the fighting. The titan soon captures my partner in his grip and waves of a yellow-orange light erupt from the former's fingertips, swarming over him. I've never seen any kind of move like that before, but I don't have to to know that it's a terrifyingly powerful one.

I'll leave the rest of the underlings for Team Charm to handle, but I'm just not entirely sure how I can help Ri. So I do the only thing that comes to mind: I charge at him, ramming into his chest as I use Force Palm. No, I don't imagine it to do much damage—he barely even flinches and he certainly doesn't let go of Ri—but it's enough to get Regigigas' attention. I rebound off of him no sooner than I've made contact, flipping myself around to land on top of him and balancing myself against one of the bands at his shoulders.

He dips forward and tries to swing me off, but luckily I'm still faster than him. It's just like with the other titans: He's tough, but his size and defenses end up sacrificing speed. I jump again, this time driving my feet into the bend of his inner elbow. I don't really know if I Pokemon like him really has pressure points, but his reaction is exactly what I was hoping for. His forearm abruptly raises and his fingers jerk open in reaction. Ri tumbles out of his grasp, landing on his feet in a kneeling position. From the looks of it, to my relief, he seems ok.

Regigigas then makes another attempt to swat his other hand at me, and as I rear back I end up falling off of him and back down to the floor near my partner's side. As he positions himself once more to face us, we sprint a safe distance away.

I notice that Ri keeps a hand pressed to his chest and I look at him worriedly. His breathing is also somewhat labored, but even with that difficulty he looks like he's ready to keep fighting. "I don't know what type of Pokemon he is," Ri pants, "but it looks like he's weaker to Fighting-type moves than anything else we could try. Lucky for us, I guess…"

Right. Lucky for us except for one thing: We're running on fumes. I don't have much aura that I can spare for this fight and Ri probably doesn't either. With Bone Rush and Aura Sphere being two of our best moves, we're limited in a fight with an opponent like this. We could use Counter, but of course that means taking on a major hit first, and to be honest I'm not sure if we could handle one after all the nonstop fighting we've already been through. I'd hate to admit it, but I guess Dusknoir wasn't entirely wrong when he told us that the moves we can use at this point really aren't enough.

"If you can use Vacuum Wave on him first, my Reversal might be able to do a bit more damage."

"Got it. Get behind me!" The winds from Vacuum Wave can double as a kind of barrier: It's why many people who use it can strike first in a battle since they're safely locked within a fast-moving spiral of air, making it almost impossible for any kind of attack to hit them. I can shield him so long as he keeps himself back until the right moment.

Whipping my arm upwards, I summon a vortex of air currents around me. Then I begin to feel the weightless sensation of my body being lifted off the ground. With another motion of my arms, all of that charged power from the swirling winds is thrust at the giant.

I drop back to the earth not even an instant after Ri takes off toward Regigigas, chasing after the winds. The latter recovers quicker than expected, blasted back only by a fraction and then driving his fist at Ri with a crackle of energy as he uses Thunder Punch. My partner swerves around the attack, not slowing down for a second as a circle of lights encompasses him and he rams himself into the other before darting back.

Even though it's only for a moment, I notice Ri's stance slip a bit. I don't know how much damage he took from before, but I know he can't keep pushing himself for much longer. I use Copycat to mimic his Reversal and fling myself at Regigigas. If the attack strengthens according to how much damage a Pokemon has already taken, then that should only mean this next one should be worse for him to brace himself against.

I manage to strike him against the crest on his forehead, and feel him rock back on impact. It's it! That's it! As I ricochet back, I call out to my partner, "Ri! You need to try to land another hit—!"

But I don't have a second more to explain. A scorching light enters my field of vision and the next thing I know I'm being struck mid-air by a powerful Fire Punch. The power of it is enough to nearly knock me into the far wall of the wide chamber. A gasp of breath leaves me as I hit the floor rolling. "Use Reversal again! Aim for the crest at his forehead!" I shout once I'm able, lifting myself onto my hands and knees.

I see him nod and then he's off, racing for Regigigas a second time as a circle of lights begins to form around him once more. The behemoth tries to lash out at Ri, but just as his fist launches toward my partner, the latter jumps onto his arm and uses it to propel himself with even greater velocity. I couldn't ask for any better aim from him: His attack lands right on the mark. Step after quick step, Regigigas begins to stumble back.

But the hit didn't take him down to the extreme that I had hoped for. Rather than collapse back, he drops onto one knee. I'm already on my feet, running to my partner's side.

"I… I don't think I can manage another try at that," he exhales deeply, "What now?"

I really don't know! It doesn't seem like our usual attacks are doing much of anything to him at all, even on the chance that we do have a type advantage! Team Charm's still busy with the last pair of Bronzong, so we can't rely on them! If we could just use our aura, but I'm not even sure we'd have enough between the two of us to matter much!

No, wait! Between the two of us! I snap my gaze at my partner, "Let's try firing off an Aura Sphere together." If we combine our power, we shouldn't be able to lose as much as we would individually.

His eyes widen, and the look he gives me is one I've seen countless times over: One that questions my sanity. "Lira, you know that I can't use Aura Sphere without copying you! How could we pull that off?!"

"Just channel your aura into mine," I explain, already forming an orb in one hand, "I should be able to control them enough to keep them both intact—so long as we both do this right. We should be fine. If this doesn't work, we'll try something else, but right now we're running out of ideas!"

He hesitates, but as my Aura Sphere continues to build he gives in and raises his hands out to it. I don't just see the difference: I _feel_ it—the surge of energy combining with mine. The orb pulses unstably before I'm able to rein control over it as the two waves of aura collide and channel into one another into a physical shape. From being healed by Ri, and also from absorbing the auras of two people, I could never forget the feeling; however, both cases were solely physical. This is something more.

A person's aura signature is the result of two things: Their physical being—their age, what they are, the state of their health—and their spiritual being. Most aura users take to one or the other in subtle ways, for example, relying on the physical being more often when searching for people and relying on the spiritual being when trying to communicate with other through aura. From this, I sense Ri giving his all into this attack.

From the corner of my sight, I notice Regigigas getting back on his feet. And not a second too late, I feel our combined attack strengthen to above the level of an Aura Sphere I'd typically fire. It still may not be enough, but it'll have to do. I shift my stance, giving Ri the cue to do the same as we both move our hands together in sync.

And we fire.

Seeing the Aura Sphere erupt on contact, hitting Regigigas in the chest, is something of a wonder. It's not that there's anything particularly special about it, but seeing it finally take him down—this titan above the titans—is an insane sight. It drills at him like a bullet, bursting in a distortion of light, and he falls onto his back.

We can't help it, sinking to the earth: We've overexerted ourselves in these caves. But then we soon notice how quiet it is and turn our heads to see that Team Charm's taken care of the last of the servants—and are also staring right back at us. Despite how exhausted I feel, I give them a small smile, giving them a quick 'thumbs up' to show that, yes, somehow we're both still in one piece.

Or so I think. Suddenly, the ground begins to quake and the square of bricks in front of where our opponents originally were begins to rise with a fierce wave of dust cascading from all sides of it. It then slides away as a shape with a deep red color rises from the floor. I quickly recognize it as another slab, but it towers over all of us.

"Wh-what is this?!" Lopunny cries, backing away with her fists clenched at her sides—not entirely having snapped out of the combat mindset just yet.

Gardevoir cranes her neck to get a better look over the team leader's shoulder, "There's an inscription on the stone marker!"

The look the three gives us tells me two things: That it's not in any script that they can read and that they want us to do it. Ri and I share a glance, but with a huff we both pull one another to our feet and drag ourselves over to the slab. Sure enough, in a large text, I recognize the language of the Unown:

"'Close your eyes, then let your aura flow into the ground,'" I read aloud, then mutter sardonically, "Oh yeah, simple enough…" I can only imagine that the instructions are literal, since I can't think of any other way for it to work. It's easy enough for Ri, me, and possibly Medicham too, but I wonder how it would work for other Pokemon. Surely this wasn't solely meant to work for aura users…

I guess, for now, so long as it works then it's not a big issue. I do as I'm told. The thing is though, I'm not prepared for the cold feeling that sweeps over me. It feels the same way as a cold stone leeching my body heat would. I don't feel any truly negative effects, but I shudder nonetheless.

When I hear the earth rumble slightly, I can't help but open my eyes again. What I find is the slab glowing in a similar manner to the ones we've seen on the floors above. And Regigigas standing on his own again! The members of Team charm cry out behind me and my partner laces his fingers with mine, tugging me back as my muscles remain tensed.

With a fierce roar and to our greater shock, Regigigas slams his fist into the earth and then _the entire chamber_ begins to tremble. You'd think we were in the middle of a massive earthquake! Arceus, is he trying to kill us all by bringing the whole of the ruins down on top of us?!

"Hurry, we have to give out!" I'm not sure who said it. All I know is that in the next second I'm flying back toward the way we came as fast as my legs can carry me with Ri at my side.

* * *

"Is everyone alright?"

"Seems that way. Everyone's here."

"Thank goodness."

According to the placement of the sun, we must've been inside there for over twenty-four hours. We made it. Somehow we made it out of the chaos of the wreckage in the nick of time. I can only assume that the destruction of Aegis Cave forced the ever-changing labyrinths to suddenly stop working: We just made it out too easily. Nevertheless, I can't believe what I'm hearing. Everyone's alright?! No. No, we're not! I raise my voice to a shout after I've caught my breath, "What do mean we're all alright?! Azalea, Bidoof and the others are still in there!"

A hand then presses comfortingly against my shoulder. I turn my head to find Ri offering me a tired, reassuring grin. "No… they're fine too…" he pants, "It's faint—there's something about this place that's definitely trying to block the auras inside it—but they're in there… We should be able to signal them to come out if they don't soon…"

They're still ok… How are they ok? I don't know how _we_ managed to make it of that chaos! Nevertheless, I don't doubt Ri's abilities. If he says he can sense them, then I believe him. I give him a small nod.

"But the treasures…" Lopunny takes a few steps forward, toward the miraculously intact passage that we exited to make it out under the heat of the blinding sun. What once seemed like a passage full of exciting mysteries now seems like a foreboding gateway to the underworld. Yet despite it all—or rather because of it—I know how she feels. I'm happy just to have made it out in one piece, but I'm also a little disappointed that we ended up empty handed.

 _To think that there's still so much left that we don't know about these sorts of places…_ Ri and I are supposed to be 'Guardians of Light,' these characters straight out of legends, but it's like the more we see the less we know. We didn't know what to expect in there. We didn't know what that last Pokemon was or even what type he was. We still don't know what the point of all of that was. As soon as we learn about one mystery, we find another waiting for us on a pile of them,

"Oh, look at that!"

Medicham's sharp cry raises our attention, but none of us can begin to fathom what it is that now rests before our eyes. From the looks of it, we spilled out of Aegis Cave not far from where we had entered. There was nothing within the span of the horizon besides rock and shrubbery. Now, however, an entire cliff-face stretches in front of our eyes.

"The ground heaved up!" she continues to exclaim in amazement, "And a gap opened in the face of the cliff!"

"The tremor earlier… What Regigigas and the others were protecting…" Gardevoir muses aloud, "This must've been it!"

"I get it now! That's where they hid the treasures! And they're undisturbed!"

Just as I mentioned: Mysteries piling on top of other mysteries… How something like this could even happen—and within only the course of a few minutes—is beyond me. I think I've been able to come to terms with more than any reasonable person should be able to after everything I've been through with Ri, but this is going down as one of the crazier things I've experienced on an _incredibly long_ list. This seems like the kind of thing only a legendary like Groudon would be capable of!

"Wonderful! This exploration turned out to be a huge success after all!" Lopunny cheers.

"Haha! Yeah!"

Gardevoir's lips pull up in a soft smile as she folds her arms across her chest, behaving as level-headed as ever, "But the credit doesn't belong to us this time." She then turns to Ri and me, "Team Crusade. The credit belong entirely to you."

Ri chuckles bashfully, scratching the back of his head as he releases a quiet, awkward chuckle, "I'm... not too sure about that. Sure, we fought the titans, but you guys helped. And you're the reason we even know about this place."

"I'd say it does!" Medicham chimes in, clapping her hands together, "The treasures in there, all of it belongs to you! My word, weren't you something special! It was like seeing Wigglytuff in action in the old days!"

I'm not sure if I like that, being compared to Wigglytuff, but I guess we can take it as a compliment… I guess we all understand the sentiment, because soon enough we all begin to erupt with laughter, partially on the idea of that and partially because we're still getting over our nerves from what just happened. I lean against Ri and he wraps an arm across my shoulder as we get the last of our giggles out.

After that, Gardevoir releases a sigh of content and—looking to her teammates—offers, "So, shall we go on to our next adventure, old friends?"

Lopunny nods, "Yes, let's do that!"

"You're leaving already?" I question, one of my ears flopping back curiously. I wasn't expecting to enjoy fighting alongside them as much as I did. Not to mention that I had pictured that, even if they didn't go all the way back to Treasure Town with us, they'd still stay to review with the rest of us about what we experienced in Aegis Cave.

Lopunny grins, placing her hands on her hips, "We enjoyed ourselves very much, Team Crusade. It was fun exploring with you! If we keep up our explorations, we may run into each other again someday." She then gives us a sly wink, "But next time, _we'll_ beat _you_ to the treasure!"

I smirk at that. It looks like we have a trio of new rivals. "Don't be so sure. We are flying through our ranks about all. Who knows: We might get to the second Master Rank before you three do."

They snicker lightly as they start to turn away, looking back only to wave goodbye at us for one, final time. "Take care! Send our love to Wigglytuff!"

Then comes the familiar sort of quip I forget that I had attempted to avoid them for: "And you take good care of that boy of yours, darling!"


	36. Chapter 36: Another Storm

Ri was right: The other's ended up being just fine. Actually, according to Bidoof—who told us both this in secret to avoid Loudred's wrath—they didn't manage to make it past the first level. It's not that I don't believe that they could've made it farther in, but I'm pretty relieved when I find that out. I wouldn't have wanted them to have faced the same risk to their lives that we and Team Charm did. All it took to get them out of there was flaring our aura signatures and their using an Escape Orb to warp outside. Corphish and Loudred weren't too happy with us when they learned the reason for our doing so, but relented—albeit disgruntledly—when we told them what we went through.

The way back home is pleasant. We camped out with our guildmates the first night and then split off from them the next morning—with them returning to the coast to catch a ride and us retracing our steps back. Even though we didn't plan on it, we actually make it to Treasure Town at almost the same time that they do.

After what we experienced, we thought it was best to postpone exploring the additional parts of the temple that were revealed after we fought Regigigas. We weren't really ready for Aegis Cave: We know even less about what we might face in the in this new area. There could be an even worse set of labyrinths or an even more powerful Pokemon to face. It can wait until we're better prepared, or until we have a more organizes unit of people to search it with us.

We're not afraid of someone else trying to claim the find though. For one thing, we have Team Charm to back us up as witnesses. And for another, as Chatot and Wigglytuff explained after we had given them our report, once the papers for it are sent to the Federation it'll also be documented that it's ours for future study. Ri and I were both a little taken aback by it, but we even got to _name_ the location for ourselves. I went along with what my partner decided on: The Concealed Ruins—simple and direct enough a name, but also a little mysterious.

The last and most important reason we're not worried of losing the find is because of all of our combined reports. The tangle of confusing labyrinths that no one can leave without an Escape Orb, the Unown and legendaries guarding the place, the chance of being taken who knows where if you lose a fight with any of them… It's not a place many in their right mind would go to, and based on the titans' words, only those that have bested them are allowed to enter the Concealed Ruins.

I know Ri must be on Cloud Nine over all of this: Even I'm thrilled by this kind of success. This is the sort of thing we signed up for as an exploration team, but I didn't really think we'd make it as far as we have. I never would've guessed we'd be making our _own_ discoveries like this.

A day after our arrival though, we get our first huge storm of the summer. It comes out of nowhere, with gloomy clouds blanketing the sky right at dusk and casting all of Treasure Town into darkness early. However, the lightning that streaks the clouds from afar is bright enough to cast millisecond instances of vivid illumination. Combine that with the booming thunder and the chaotic churning of the ocean hundreds of feet below and even if we tried everything we could to force ourselves to sleep, I don't think we'd be able to. Based on the noise in the hall, it doesn't seem like anyone else is interested in trying to go to be just yet either.

"It sure sounds like a storm is coming," Ri murmurs as he gazes out through the window. I watch him as I brush my hair where I sat on our bed. Rolling his shoulders in a relaxed stretch, he turns to face me, "It's been a long time since the last storm. It's been quiet for a good while now. So, in a way, a storm would be refreshing."

I understand the double meaning in his words: The quietness of all disasters that were going on as a result of Temporal Tower falling apart and the quietness we've had since we had to see Manaphy away. There's one particular quietness though that unnerves me, and that's from not hearing anything back from Grovyle and the others. Not for the first time, I think that maybe I show follow the idea that no news is good news, but it's impossible for me to believe that.

Once again, Ri calls my gaze to him as he leaves the window to sit by my side. "You know, our big adventure… when we stopped the destruction of time…" he rests his arms on his knees, drawing his fingers together contemplatively, "It already feels like it happened a long time ago."

Yes, it does feel that way. Going to the future with Ri, fighting Dialga at Temporal Tower… Now that I think about it, it does feel like all those things were a long time ago. Even my time spent with my own kind in the future is starting to feel like something out of a dream.

Now that time has returned to normal and peace has come to the world… _Well, mostly._ According to all that's happened and what Celebi told us, there's still a lot of work to do before the world fully recovers… I guess that, in the end, it all reminds me of how far we've come and how far we've still got to go. And it also reminds me that, because time has returned to normal, places like Luminous Spring were able to recover. Now, it's possible for everyone to evolve there again. Everyone but us, that is…

I remember it all clearly, being told why we couldn't evolve yet. Although Dusknoir wasn't able to find anything in his research about that, we were told that there was a distortion in the fabric of _space_ that prevented our evolution. But what does any of that even mean? Sure, there are still some issues going on with the world as a result of what happened, but time is back to normal. And what would "a distortion in space" have anything to do with Ri and me?

A flash of lighting cuts through the sky and brightens the entire room. Too lost in his own thoughts, Ri gives a sudden jolt in surprise. I can't help but snicker at him, "Do you need me to protect you?"

"It only startled me…" he answers with a note of embarrassment. Just then the thunder follows. "I think the storm's getting closer. We should get some sleep now: Goodnight, Lira!"

"Oh no! I'm not through talking with you just yet, Ri," I smirk, placing my hairbrush on the floor. "I've been meaning to ask you… Why did you want to tag along with Team Charm? You were acting a little different for a while."

"Different?" he echoes, but I can tell from his expression that he knows exactly what I'm talking about. He's not the kind of person to ask another team that he doesn't know if we could tag along on _their_ exploration. He usually doesn't care about being the 'first' to do anything, so his push to hurry through Aegis Cave to reach the end was unlike him.

"I've never really seen you get competitive over anything before," I chortle, "That's all."

He shakes his head, "I didn't feel like I was acting different…" But I can see him thinking hard over the events of the exploration and soon a subtle blush tints his cheeks. If he's thought of something though, he doesn't look like he wants to share it.

I review what all happened before and during our trip in my own mind, but I can't really think of anything in particular that would've made him act that way. He'd only just met the members of Team Charm, and it's not like he seemed particularly awed by them or that he wanted for us to act as rivals against them. I can see him getting excited over the mystery behind Aegis Cave and wanting to participate solely because of that, but I can't imagine just wanting to go pushing him enough to actually ask to come along. He's still a little backward and honestly just too polite for that without their inviting us first.

Besides, if they had invited us on their own, he definitely wouldn't have acted competitive. Up until after the fight with Regice, there was nothing that Team Charm said or did that could've sparked that sense of rivalry from him. Really, the only thing we had talked about before he asked if we could join them was the fact that I could use Attract thanks to them.

"Is it really all that embarrassing?" I press. It's not like I'd force him to talk, but the fact that he's trying to avoid saying anything makes me want to know why even more.

He shrugs, "Not really: To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what came over me. I just thought… Maybe you'd like to go?" His brows furrow and he gives me a confused look, "I don't know: It seems a little silly now, I guess. I know you don't like exploring as much as I do…"

Here he goes again, making doubts for me about coming back to the past to continue being a part of our team. "I liked it," I smile, "I didn't like that we dragged ourselves to the point of exhaustion, but I liked getting to explore that place. I liked discovering the Concealed Ruins with you."

He gives me a lopsided grin at that. I can't really believe that he's telling me the whole of things, but I guess I'll accept that answer well-enough. As I said, I don't plan to force it out of him. He and I lay back on the hay, listening to first few drops of rain hit against the window as the storm draws closer.

* * *

 _As expected, it takes a long while for me to actually fall asleep. I don't really expect to be able to manage it, but somehow I find myself lulled into a serene rest. What I really don't expect though is to flutter my eyes open to find a void of wavering colors touched with streaks of a soft white._ This is… _I feel weightless and I can't move. As pretty as it is though, this place is still empty, so where would I even try to go if I could?_ Is this… Is this a dream…? _If it is, it's certainly unlike any I've ever had before. I haven't even had a dream in the longest while._

 _Suddenly there's a distortion in the path of wavering lights before me. It looks like the figure of a Pokemon, but I don't know who or what it is at first. As the shape manifests itself and becomes clearer though, it becomes more recognizable. I remember the elegant, swan-like figure and the moon-shaped, crescent crown atop her head. A soothing hue of soft, pink, blue, and yellow pastels coat her body. This is one of the Pokemon I'd seen from one of my books: The one that's supposed to exist as an opposite being to Pitch Black._

" _I am… I am Cresselia," she greets, slowly hovering closer to me, but stopping short a meter or so away. Her voice is melodic, like the pleasant ring of a water glass._

" _C-Cresselia…?!" I repeat. I… I can hardly believe it! If this is really her, then I have so much that I want to ask! Why is she here? I want to know if she knows what's been happening and why Pitch Black has been after me! I want to know if he's really tracked me back to the past and why he's been able to influence so many Pokemon! As each question bounces around my skull though, I can't manage to tear any one of them free from my lips._

 _More than that though, the steady, calm look she gives me stops me short. It lacks all emotion, and there's a hardened nature to her gaze that takes me back. Nevertheless, her expression is nothing compared to the words that leave her, "You… Your very existence is… pushing the world toward ruin."_

 _What? It takes a second for what she said to sink in, but when it does it hits hard._ The world… to ruin? How am I doing that?! _I… No. I try to shake my head. No, that can't be right: We_ saved _the world, Ri and I. We stopped Temporal Tower from collapsing. We haven't even had anything to do with Dialga or the Time Gears since then! I just can't believe that! "What do you mean?" I demand._

" _Because you are in this world," she explains, her placid tone unwavering. Sudden, there's a flash of light and the peaceful feeling I had from earlier completely vanishes as the aurora before me crackles. Even still, Cresselia stays calm, "Because you… exist here… If you remain…" Another crackle of light, and this time even her own being seems to become distorted. "The world will be destroyed!"_

 _All I can feel then is a cold shiver running down my spine as the world around me continues to tear itself apart in bursts of painfully bright lights. Cresselia herself breaks apart like static, the vision of her dissolving in fragments that are then eaten away with the rest of the scene until I'm all that's left to devour from the void. And I can't contain the scream that tears from my throat as, piece by piece, my entire body is shattered._

* * *

I bolt up from the hay drenched in a cold sweat, gasping for air as I wrap my arms around myself. I flick my eyes all around me as I try to calm myself down, slowly reassuring myself that what happened wasn't real and that I'm safe. What I saw was just a dream and I'm alive. I'm in mine and Ri's bed, in the Guild, at home where I need to be. Everything's ok. It's fine.

I snap my gaze to my side to find that R's still asleep. I don't know how, but it's a miracle that I didn't wake him up this time. _Wh-what was that?_ I raise a hand to my forehead, wiping away the thin layer of sweat. _What a strange dream though._ Cresselia… That couldn't actually have been her, right? I've never even met her before. What would she want with me?

I draw my lips into a firm line. Dream or no, I can't easily dismiss what she said—that my existence was danger to the world. Still, I don't believe her any more than I could throw her. If I shouldn't exist, then that means I should've disappeared after Temporal Tower, right? I'm still here. I, along with everyone else from the future, was able to live—and Dialga himself gave me permission to return to the past. So even if any of that was real, she'd have to be wrong!

I release a heavy sigh. _Well, there's nothing I can do about it: It's not even dawn…_ I might as well get some more sleep. Maybe tomorrow I can check back through my books to see if there's anything in them to explain what my dream could've been about. Then again, maybe it's because I've been so paranoid lately that I'm even dreaming about those things in the first place.

I'm restless, and the hammering in my chest won't stop, but eventually I manage to nap for just a little longer.


	37. Chapter 37: Restless Night

"Thank you again, Team Crusade, for all of your hard work. Without your help, we never would've brought this criminal, Granbull, in."

It's just another day of work as usual for us. Standing on the Guild compound's first floor, we've met up with Officer Magnezone and two other policemen in front of the Boards—just as we almost always do when transferring an outlaw over to him. Across from us on the opposite side of the chamber, Azalea is speaking with one of our other clients, a Glameow. We were able to pick up a few Chesto berries to deliver to Normal-type and Azalea could use the real-life experience, so we doubled on our missions and brought her along. From the looks of things, we have a satisfied customer.

"It's nothing," Ri shrugs with a grin, "It's part of the job, after all."

"Nevertheless, we appreciate your continued cooperation. Here's your reward." A tiny sack the size of our palm is tossed our way and my partner catches it in both hands, and inside it should be a few hundred Pokè. All in all, we haven't done badly for a day's work—and we managed to finish all of our jobs early, so we have some extra time to spare. All we have left is to divide a portion of the profits to our teammate-in-training.

After that, I think that I just want to turn in early for the night. My broken sleep from last night combined with my inability to stop thinking about it has left me drained: A good dinner and a fitful rest sounds pretty good right about now. I think Chimecho and Sunflora left to do a mission of their own, so unless Ri's planning on cooking something, maybe we should just eat at _Spinda's Café_ tonight. It's too early for dinner, but it's not exactly like I'd complain about that either.

We watch on in silence as the officers take Granbull away, then wait on the sidelines for Azalea to wrap up her end of today's business. Maybe it's because she's a mythical Pokemon or maybe it's because the years spent exploring Sky Peak really did toughen her up when she was younger, but she's making some pretty good progress in her training. It doesn't surprise me that she's also good at handling clients either, considering she must've practically been raised for it. She's young—and, as I said, she lacks experience—but she's also knows how to sell herself. She's confident.

The biggest struggle she has is that she relies on her Magical Leaf in a fight too much, which can put her at a major disadvantage. She's knows other moves, but they're not as strong and I don't think she's put much effort into them. On top of that, if she keeps relying on Magical Leaf then she'll not only be putting herself in danger if she's against a poor type match-up, but she'll also be predictable. I'm hoping that Sunflora can help her, but maybe I could ask Grovyle to teach her a thing or two when he and the others get back.

Then again, I'm one to talk. I haven't forgotten the trouble we had at Aegis Cave. I still haven't been able to really learn Bite or Blaze Kick. To add even more pressure on us both, we got a letter from our teammates saying that they want results from our training when they get back. I glance down at the small sheet of paper in my hands now that we had been given when we first arrived from our jobs today:

 _'Dear Lira and Ri,_

 _'I trust that the both of you are doing well. Dusknoir, Celebi, and I have continued our investigation regarding the anomalies; however, we've yet to find any direct cause for them. According to Dialga, there are no further disruptions to time and Temporal Tower remains stable. It doesn't seem as though there are any locations reverting to another state of paralysis, but all of us should still keep an eye out for any signs of disaster similar to what happened before. As of now, I'm not certain when we'll be able to write to you next or for how much longer we'll be gone. If either of you can gather any information on your end, we should eventually be stopping in Verins Basin: The two of you can send word by Pelipper there._

 _'In the meantime, practicing the moves that Dusknoir has been teaching the both of you should take priority. I imagine you've returned to taking jobs from the Boards, but we'll expect some measure of improvement when we return. Don't use this time as an excuse to fall slack on your training._

 _'We hope to come back to Treasure Town soon,_

 _'—Grovyle'_

Seeing those words again draws a firm line across my mouth. At least Ri's trying to apply what he's been learning to the field, but if anything, I've been trying to avoid it. I can't come up with excuses, but it's all so weird to me. I still hate using the shadowy energy needed for a Dark-type attack and Blaze Kick just doesn't feel natural for me to master. I've used Copycat to summon fire before, but to actually manifest it on my own seems impossible.

As soon as Azalea finishes up her talk with our client, she walks over to Ri and me with a wide smile. I could actually see handling relations being her main role on the team, since she's good at it and enjoys it so much. Still, I think she'd rather be in the field like us despite—or maybe rather _because of_ —the risk. Like us, she wants the thrills and adventure of being on an exploration team.

"We got a hundred Pokè and a couple of Totter Seeds from Glameow," the young Shaymin informs with a gleam of success in her eyes, "Thanks for bringing me along on the job, you two! I have to admit, I was worried I'd never get to go on any missions."

I raise a brow, a faint smirk tugging at my lips, "You know you can always take a few rookie jobs on your own if you want to. You don't have to stay here when we're not around. "

She shakes her head at that, "O-oh, I don't think I'm ready! Everything's still so new to me, I'd probably just make a mess of things and have to send a note to be rescued myself."

I glance over at my partner to find a glimmer of understanding in his eyes and my smirk broadens. He was so backward when we first formed an exploration team that he might've said those exact same words on any day. Now he's ready to take on almost any job on the Boards. "Lira just turned into a Pokemon and I was pretty scared about facing criminals when we first started," Ri assures her, "You should start small, but one day you can come along with us on bigger jobs."

She beams at him when he says this. There's no telling when that day will be, but she does have potential. Who knows: Maybe she'll end up graduating as early into her apprenticeship as we did.

We give Azalea her share of the profits and take another glance over the Boards—helping her pick whichever assignments would best suit her as well as glancing over the swarm of posters to see if there's anything else we could take on for tomorrow. We settle on an escort mission that will bring us close to the Crystal Caves: There's a chance Azelf might know something about the distortions going on in the world, so we could try talking to her on our way back. She could probably contact Uxie or Mesprit using her telepathy while we're there too, but she likely won't tell us anything that they haven't already talked about amongst themselves.

We've just picked out another delivery mission for Azalea when she suddenly turns towards us and asks, "Hey, since we have some time to spare… Do you think you two could maybe help me pick out a few things in town? Maybe we could have a picnic too. On the beach?"

My eyes widen a bit at that. As tired as I am, Azalea doesn't ask for much so it's not like we can say no easily—and if she's going to start heading out on missions by herself then it would be better if she had the right equipment. Since she joined our team, she didn't get any items to start with like with did, so it's our job to take care of what she needs. I'm not particularly concerned over that, but the part about going to the beach… I cross my arms over my chest. Is Ri going to be ok with that?

I can't tell what he's feeling, but he puts on a smile, "Oh yeah! The weather's great today again! An afternoon out sounds nice." He then glances over at me, "Right, Lira?"

"Right," I offer back. I don't really know if there's much else that I can say to that. We were both so upset over what happened with Manaphy, but I know we've also both been fighting hard to move forward.

Like every other member of the Guild, Ri and I do have a locker at _Kangaskhan's Storage._ Perishables won't last long; however, we do keep a few odds and ends we've earned as a team there. We should have a few pieces of equipment to spare and we can get a bag for her at the Kecleon brothers' shop while we're buying food.

"Maybe we should get you some kind of ribbon," I muse aloud as we walk. I can't remember what it's called, but I think we have one that improves both one's defenses and attack power—if only by a hair each. Something basic like that might work for her.

"No, I want some kind of bandana," she practically whines, shaking her head insistently. "A ribbon would just fall right off when I'm flying!"

"Flying?" I echo, and then I remember the unique form her species' can take: Her Sky Form. I also remember it being an only temporary thing too. "How are you going to manage that on explorations?" I ask, "And doesn't the Gracidea flower only grow on Sky Peak?"

"That's just within the Grass Continent," she purses her lips, "My ancestors migrated from another land before coming to Sky Peak. And they _flew_ here and planted the Gracideas themselves. I could grow some here, and the flowers should last long enough if I have to pick them. I'll just be so much faster and stronger in my Sky Form."

Well… If she gets it to work, I don't really see a problem with it. Still, she can't really on that form like she does with her Magical Leaf. There's a chance that the flower won't grow here or that she'll face a tough opponent as the way she is now.

I know Ri's thinking the same thing when he says, "We should probably find you a Pecha Scarf then, Azalea." It's just like him to think of something so perfect for her to use. We can help her work on her strength and endurance, but if she draws in any miasma to the extreme that she did at Sky Peak, there's a chance she could really end up hurting herself—possibly fatally. We can't always be there for her like we were then, and we still don't even know what we did or how we could replicate it. A Pecha Scarf should help eliminate whatever poison she might draw into her body. It should also help her against Poison-types specifically, since she already has a disadvantage there as a Grass-type.

When we make it into town, I notice a distinct difference that I didn't earlier this morning: There's less people. As small as it is, Treasure Town is still usually a hub of activity for all different kinds of travelers. I figured the storm from last night had kept a few people indoors for a little longer this morning, but there's hardly anyone outside now, even though the weather is perfect. _Is this what it's like being in town this early in the afternoon?_ I didn't think it would be this… dead…

I leave Ri and Azalea to decide on what to eat and walk a little farther down the main road until I get to Kangaskhan's. You'd think with her imposing height she'd be a bit more intimidating than she is, but really she acts like a local mother to pretty much everyone in town. I'll never forget walking on a scene where she had been nagging Xatu—the most respected Pokemon in town behind Torkoal and Wigglytuff—about eating better.

That's why I'm a little surprised when her usual, welcoming grin is replaced by tired eyes and a distance gaze. Even her usually energetic toddler is sound asleep and I've never once seen him act anything but restless. "Hey Auntie Kangaskhan," I say in a low voice. Since the kid is asleep for a change, I'm not about to be the one to wake him. "Is everything ok?"

She gives me a faint smile—it's not often that I called her 'Auntie' as most do, but occasionally it slips out—and then sighs, "I just had a lot of trouble getting junior here to bed last night." Pushing herself up from the stone counter in a long stretch, she adds, "I guess I really didn't get much sleep either. Usually the rain relaxes me…"

"It looks like that storm brought a rough night for more than one of us then," I snort good-naturedly to try to make light of it, "Maybe that's why the town's so quiet today: Everyone's busy sleeping."

She chuckles at that, "A good night's rest tonight will probably cure that. The streets will probably be as crowded as usual by tomorrow."

I hope she's right. I'd rather not go through another sequence of restless nights as I've done time and time again. Sometimes they were memories and sometimes they were nightmares: Every time, they left me feeling mentally and emotionally drained.

With neither of us feeling up for much small talk, we finish our business pretty quickly and soon enough I meet back with Ri and Azalea. The Kecleon brothers only prove their gift of selling practically anything in their shop when they find a sturdy saddle bag that fits her just right and can be adjusted for when she transforms. My partner amazes again with some lettuce, bread, and a mix of odd vegetables and berries to make an odd, light dinner of spring rolls and toast with jam for dessert. Our afternoon at the beach is strangely enjoyable, even with the bittersweet memories is brings back, and mine and Ri's evening is spent looking over some of the pictures in one of my books while I awkwardly attempt to explain them. It's nice.

But unfortunately, when sleep comes, it brings exactly what I dreaded with it.

* * *

 _It begins the very same as it did last time: I'm suspended motionlessly in a hazy void of wavering colors. As strange as all of this is, I'm actually thankful for the striking familiarity of the scene because it gives me a minute to piece my thoughts together._ Again? Am I dreaming again..? _I have to be. This wouldn't be the first time I've had the same dreams multiple times._

 _Which means I know exactly what happens next: The familiar figure of the swan-like legendary appears in front of me with as calm a visage as before. If all of this means anything, if it isn't just something that I pulled out of my head in a desperate attempt to rationalize everything that's happened, I have to press her for more information. "Cresselia, please tell me more…" I insist. I've managed to rein in a bit of the chaos of feelings roaring in me enough to speak to her in a relatively steady voice. "About what you said last time. You said that my existence is driving the world to ruin. What did you mean by that?"_

 _She doesn't even so much as blink when she explains, "You are a human who came from the future. You are not of this world. That is creating the distortion in the fabric of space."_

" _Distortion in the fabric of space?!" In which case, if this is real, then Dialga and Temporal Tower really don't have anything to do with what's been going on in the world. It's not a problem with time: It's a problem with space. In essence, it's an issue with the boundaries of our reality. I don't know what that has to do with my being human though._

 _I guess I exist as a time paradox, but I'm reminded again that if that was a problem then Dialga would've done something about it. Who is the legendary in charge of space again? I can't remember, but what about them? If I'm a problem, then why haven't they done anything?_

 _There's one thought that gives Cresselia some ground to what she's saying though: The voice at Luminous Spring said that, because of a distortion in the fabric of space, Ri and I can't evolve. I could understand it if it was just me, because as a human I shouldn't have any evolutionary form. Following that logic, what she says makes a little more sense since—as a Pokemon—I shouldn't exist. What about Ri though? He can't have anything to do with this…_

" _If this distortion of space were to expand," she continues, "This world would be ruined."_

" _The distortion of space w-will ruin the world…" I echo. I still can't easily believe it. Then why was I allowed to come back here?_

 _Before I can even bring up Dialga though, a flash of light streaks across the void. It can't be ending already! Still, I can already see the dream breaking apart as Cressalia's form begins to line with cracks of white. "You are a presence that must not exist in this world!" she exclaims as her form breaks apart and her words split into fragments, "You must… not… be here…"_

" _W-wait! Please tell me more!"_ _But it's too late. I can't hang onto the dream and it slips from my mind like grains of sand coursing through my fingers. I'm expelled from the bright, colorful void as quickly as I was dragged into it, fading away into utter blackness…_


	38. Chapter 38: Slipping

" _Hey, Lira. Come on, Lira."_

 _The darkness that engulfs me is almost suffocating. I could be floating in the heart of a vast emptiness or swimming in a pitch black miasmic ooze and not know the difference between the two. Yet despite it all I hear a familiar, warm voice calling out to me—beckoning me away from the shadows. My mind desperately pulls at it like a lifeline._

" _Wake up, Lira. It's morning already," the voice urges with a note of worry._

My head begins to pound heavily, as if the echoes of Cresselia's words were rebounding within the confines of my skull, and I release a stiff groan. Sure enough though, I'm torn from the realm of sleep and blink my tired eyes open to find myself lying in bed with the sun's rays pouring into our room.

Ri's shadow leaves my side and I look up just in time to watch him open the window and peer outside. "Hey, look at this! The weather's great again!" he beams. And I'm sure it is, but I really don't feel like up to doing much of anything besides staying where I am.

I had that same dream again. _It felt strangely real for a dream, though_ … It all plays back for me so clearly. I don't want to believe it, but what if it _was_ actually more than a dream? I was told that I can't exist in this world: Cresselia said that, if the distortion in the fabric of space expands, the world will be ruined. More than that, she said I'm the one _causing_ the distortion. Since Luminous Spring said that I was somehow connected to it, maybe… Maybe it's true. Merely by existing here, I might cause the world's destruction.

 _Is that what I am here…?_ No matter what, it all still makes so very little sense to me. _Then why did Dialga let me come back?_ Since we were able to save Temporal Tower, he didn't lose himself like he did in the Dark Future: I can't imagine a sane Dialga… letting me live, if it meant that the world could be destroyed…

A new thought comes to me. What if we were wrong? What if Dialga's sanity never really did recover from all of the damage Temporal Tower suffered, or what if he's somehow devolving back into his Primal state? If it happened once then there's no guarantee that it wouldn't happen again. Primal Dialga would _want_ the world to fall apart if it meant he could take control of it, so if I'm a catalyst to all of this he would want to keep me alive!

But then I'm reminded of another thing: Primal Dialga tried to have Dusknoir and his men kill me because—as a Guardian of Light—I exist to _protect_ the world. He didn't lie about any of that, so what could any of that even mean now? Was I only ever meant to exist to protect Temporal Tower and then die? If so, then why didn't I truly disappear after we saved it… I just don't know who or what I'm supposed to believe anymore…

"Why are you daydreaming?" Ri asks, snapping me out of my turmoil of thoughts, "It's not like you, Lira."

I'm overthinking things. That's it. I still don't know if my dream means anything, and I've been so worried and so paranoid over everything that's happened lately that it would drive anyone crazy like this. "Well, I still feel like I'm half-asleep," I answer with a light smirk, rubbing the weariness out of my eyes, "I don't think the dream world wants to let go of me just yet." _I really don't…_

Taking me by both hands, he lifts me onto my feet with a small chuckle, "Come on, let's see some energy!" As if to illustrate that, he bounces a bit on the balls of his feet.

I snort: Ri's acting even peppier that usual. But… Maybe he could be right. It's not for sure that I'm going to destroy the world, so there's no point feeling sorry for myself. The best thing I can do for now is look into what's going on myself and stay positive. _I gotta cheer up!_ I've faced worse dreams, so I can't let something like this get to me.

I roll my shoulders to shake away the last of my fatigue and press a smile onto my lips before giving my partner's hands a firm squeeze. "I think a decent breakfast might do us both some good," I offer, "Maybe a Sitrus berry will help wake me up."

"Yes, that's the Lira I know!" he returns with a nod, taking the lead out the door of our room, "Let's make this another big day!"

At least he's got enough energy for the both of us today. What am I going to do though if these nightmares keep happening? If they keep repeating themselves, I won't be able to deny the fact that they have to be some sort of premonition, but what can I even do? I… I won't just throw my life away. I was lucky enough to get this second chance that I'm not about to give up on the life I've made here.

It's so quiet in the compound. Since I didn't look outside, I have no idea what time it is. Did we wake up before the others again? It's strange to be up before everyone else, because there's usually at least the bustle of an exploration team or two heading out at the break of day for their work.

The situation goes from strange to somewhat eerie when we enter the meeting chamber only to be greeted by silence. Where is everyone? Surely we didn't get up _that_ early! Still, it doesn't look like anything's happened, and someone would've woken us up if there had been. "You can go ahead and check the Boards to see if there are any other jobs we can do today," Ri says, "I'll get us some breakfast and then we can go meet with our client later."

"Hello! Hold up! There's big trouble, by golly!" A voice calls out to us no sooner do we hear the creak of a door. It cuts through the quiet so swiftly that I flinch, spinning on me heel in time to watch Bidoof darting out of the Guildmaster's chambers. "I'm glad I caught you!" he continues as he runs over to us, "I reckoned you were about ready to go out for the day."

I feel a lump form in my throat. The last time we saw him the Normal-type in this much of a panicked rush was when Uxie's Time Gear was stolen and Grovyle was listed as a wanted criminal.

"What's wrong, Bidoof?" Ri questions, retracing his steps back to us. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Th-there's trouble afoot!" he stammers, "Little Azurill… The little Azurill is in trouble!"

It's like a piece of my world has been shattered when I hear those words. My heart stops. There's not one person in this entire town who couldn't love Marill and Azurill: Those two were practically adopted by all of Treasure Town. I think pretty much every young Guild member sees the pair as their little siblings and Ri and I couldn't begin to thank them enough for everything they did for us and Manaphy.

If there's one thing I know it's that neither of them would get into any trouble by just looking for it. Their adventurous, but they're also responsible. The only way they'd do anything dangerous is if someone were to trick them into doing it. Just what exactly happened? Did Azurill get sick like his Mom?

"They brought the little feller here only a minute ago," Bidoof explains, "He and Marill are with the Guildmaster!"

"Let's hurry, Lira!" Ri says, pulling me with him. Good, because I can barely carry myself one step forward. After the dream I had, for this to happen… What's going on?!

* * *

The two brothers were moved into our room. With how bad things appear, it's for the best if they stay in the Guild while all of us investigate and Ri and I volunteered to give up our beds. We'll move to Sharpedo Bluff for the time being.

When we see Azurill though… Oh Arceus, he's unconscious… Worse than that, the way he's thrashing in his sleep reminds me too much of what I saw in the future when Pitch Black was hunting me down. Quiet whimpers slips past his lips and his face remains in a contorted expression of pain and fear. I can only imagine what he might be suffering inside his own mind.

The sight rattles me enough that I keep back, my spine pressed to the wall amid the circle where everyone clusters around Azurill. There's a part of me that wants nothing more than to sit by his side and try to force my powers as a Guardian of Light into working so I can try to help him and another part of me that wants this to be nothing more than a dream. And still, there's another part of me—that most disappointing, guilt-ridden part—that can't help but think that any second now Azurill's going to open his eyes; that they'll glow with a familiar, deadly light; and that he'll attack, just like Masa and Ri were forced to.

"Hey, Azurill!" Ri exclaims in attempts to stir him awake, even going so far as to kneel by the bedside and shake his shoulders. When this fails, he looks up at our guildmates worriedly, "Is he alright?"

Sunflora turns her gaze to the floor, "There seems to be no danger to his life, but…"

"What happened to him?!" Ri demands, a certain fire in his voice that none of us are used to hearing from him. I blink at my partner in mute shock, but his piercing gaze is unrelenting.

Eventually, it's Marill's faint sniffle that answers him, "He's been sleeping and sleeping and sleeping… But he won't wake up."

I fold my hands across my arms, gripping them tightly as my brows furrow. Why wouldn't he be able to wake up? He doesn't look like he's sick or that he has any physical injuries. I think for a second that Marill might mean he's in coma, but to suddenly fall into one you'd think he'd have to hit his head or there'd be some other extreme cause.

"What?" Ri practically whispers in confusion, pushing himself back onto his feet, "He won't wake up?" I don't understand it at all either. My only reassurance is that I don't think Pitch Black could do that, put someone into a coma. He's tortured me plenty in my dreams, has tormented others enough to drive them insane and attack, and even made me sleepwalk over a balcony. However, they were all only temporary. All of us eventually woke up thanks to one thing or another. That thought is enough to bring me a step closer.

"Yes…" Marill nods despairingly, "I tried waking him over and over, but he's still asleep. I got so worried, so I brought him to the Guild."

Not sooner does he say this, Azurill's tossing and turning worsens and he emits a fearful moan. I bite down hard on my lower lip, crossing over to Ri and looping my arm around his. I need his stability right now, or else I'm going to break. I just can't believe this…

Ri draws me closer to him, but not once does he take his eyes away from Azurill. "He seems to be tormented by something…" he mutters in thought, his anxious words laced with sympathy.

"He's been like that the whole time he's been asleep," Marill explains further, placing a hand on Azurill's head as if he were trying to let his little brother know that he's there beside him. "It's like he's suffering… Is he having a bad bream?"

I really could break when he looks directly at Ri and me. We've helped the two before and we've done so much. We _should_ be able to do more, but we just don't have any answers.

Corphish ends up speaking in our stead, "Hey, hey, that could be it. The way the little fellow is tossing and turning, it looks like he's having a nightmare."

Ri shoots me a quick look, but I can only shake my head in numb distress. I just don't know… When that fails, he turns to the Guild's second-in-command, "Hey, Chatot. Do you know how we can wake up Azurill?"

But even as all eyes land his way, the dejected look on his face says everything. "Unfortunately, I'm fresh out of ideas too," he mumbles, "To be locked in a nightmare, unable to wake for days on end… I've never heard of such a thing."

"Since he's asleep, we can't feed him anything like berries," Chimecho sighs, "We're at our wit's end trying to come up with a cure." She has a point. Chesto berries normally help, but it's next to impossible to get people to eat or drink anything when they're asleep. Usually, they're picked when they're overly ripe and their tough skin is softened, making it easy to tear off a piece and use the meat of the fruit as a kind of salve around a Pokemon's nose in order to wake them up. It's so common a cure though that I imagine they've already tried it.

"Who'd know of a way of getting rid of a nightmare? Hey, hey, hey…"

Bidoof begins to nervously shuffle in place to the right of me, not looking any one of us in the eye. "Uh… um…" he fumbles with his words before raising his voice a little louder, "Uh, everyone, can I say something?"

"What is it, Bidoof?" Loudred booms, enough so that the former ducks his head and hesitates to speak up again.

Still, he perseveres over his own nerves and after a deep breath continues, "I got to thinking… Since we can't make the nightmare go away… If we somehow figure out what kind of nightmare he's having… Maybe we can figure out why that little Azurill can't wake up, by golly."

My eyes widen at that. Figure out what kind of dream he's having? How would that help? I'm not even sure if a Psychic-type could pull off something like that. Still, it's the only thing we've been able to come up with and if we somehow _could_ pull it off it wouldn't be a half bad idea. It's just that I don't think we can.

"Oh, _right!"_ Loudred exclaims with sarcastic realization, "So we should look into Azurill's dream!" He's expression then darkens in frustration as he barks, "How would we do _that?!_ Look inside a _dream?!"_

"Yipes! Gosh, I'm sorry…" This time, Bidoof backs away from Loudred. With a frown, I shuffle a step between them protectively. We can't let this turn into another issue like when we were trying to find the Time Gears: Turning on each other doesn't fix anything.

Even with that thought though, there's no denying my surprise when Chatot speaks up again, "Actually… that might be possible."

All eyes snap back on him once more. Step inside a dream? That's insane! I mean, it wouldn't be the craziest thing we've experienced: I just don't see how that's possible.

"Hey, hey! How do you do that?!" Corphish demands.

"We find Drowzee," Chatot answers simply, "If anyone can do it, Drowzee can."

"Drowzee?" my partner echoes, "I know that name somehow…" And soon enough, his expression falls into one of horrific shock once the answer dawns on him. "Th-that's it!" He jerks his gaze my way, "Remember Lira? We fought Drowzee!"

I grimace, "How could I forget? He kidnapped Azurill!" Just thinking about that creep makes my blood boil, but to actually consider bringing him back here—to let him anywhere _near_ Marill and Azurill again—I swear, I would knock him for a loop so hard that his head would spin!

"Yeah, that's him!" Ri nods, "He's that outlaw! The first one we ever caught! But…" he turns his eyes back on Chatot, "why Drowzee?"

"Yeah! Why Drowzee?!" I sneer. If a Psychic-type really can help, then we can surely find another! Maybe even Chimecho could figure out something! Surely there can be any other solution to this than letting that Pokemon within a meter's distance of these kids though!

Chatot narrows his eyes, but keeps his voice level and clears his throat, "This is just a rumor, mind you… But they say that Drowzee has the amazing ability to enter others' dreams."

"Really? He can enter dreams?" Ri echoes, and I can see some of his reservations slipping away.

"Isn't it also said that Drowzee can also _eat_ dreams?" I mumble under my breath, my ears pinning back.

"It's strictly rumor," Chatot repeats, ignoring me, "I couldn't vouch for its truth. However, the possibility exists."

"Ok, I get it." Ri sighs, "So if we were to ask Drowzee, maybe he'll be able to get into Azurill's nightmare!"

I hate this: Arceus knows how much I hate this! I would not spit on that Pokemon if he were on fire! Still… My stare slips down to where Azurill lies. If he's our only hope… I hate relying on a piece of scum like him, but I want Azurill to wake up again. Maybe we won't have a choice but to trust someone like him…

Ri and I turn to face the officer that had helped Marill carry Azurill here, where he's been standing near the door and out of the way out of respect. "Hey Magnemite," Ri asks, "What became of Drowzee after you guys arrested him?"

"Drowzee was subjected to an intense grilling by Officer Magnezone," he buzzes, "He expressed remorse: He vowed never to break the law again. So we released him."

 _Just like that, or is justice really that blind…?_ It's hard for me to imagine someone magically turning around their criminal lives for the better. At this point though, maybe I can't really afford to say anything since I gave Dusknoir—of all people—a second chance.

Nevertheless, I'm not the only one not fully convinced, "But did he _really_ straighten out?" Corphish presses, "Sounds really sketchy, hey, hey?!"

"Corphish, now is to the time to be quibbling over that," snaps Sunflora, then she questions, "So… where is Drowzee now?"

"He has gone away to cleanse his mind and spirit. He stated that he would self-discipline on Mt. Travail."

Chimecho speaks up again next, "Mt. Travail? That would be in the mountainous region on the other side of the continent."

It's definitely no small trip: It's farther away than Aegis Cave is. Nevertheless, it's the only lead we have on him and he's our only option. Not even a second does the thought come to mind, Ri's voices what we're both thinking aloud, "Ok, so that's where Drowzee is now. So we have to go, Lira! Off to Mt. Travail!"

"Right!" I squeeze his hand. This is our fight. We were the ones who fought Drowzee the first time: We should be the ones to chase after him now. We have to do this for Azurill's sake!

Another sniffle beckons our attention and we look to see quiet tears streaming down Marill's face, "Oh, Ri…"

"Wait for us, Marill." My partner offers the child a smile that I mimic. Out of all the insanity that's going on in the world right now, this is one job that I know we can do. "We promise we'll come back with Drowzee."

"Lira, Ri… You always, _always_ help us…" he continues to sob, "Thank you so much."

"It's decided then!" Wigglytuff steps forward, speaking for the first time, "We'll leave this matter to Team Crusade!" With a look over the crowd, he gives all of us a fain grin, "Everyone is worried about Azurill, but let's have Team Crusade handle it. Everyone else should go on as usual!"

Right, we can handle it… We have to handle it. I move away, allowing people to pass through as the room begins to clear. I'm so scared though. Just when I was starting to think that things were really going to be ok, Manaphy leaves, and then Grovyle and the others had to leave, and then the dreams, and now this! Why is this happening?!

Soon enough, only the Guildmaster, Chatot, the boys, and Magnemite are left in the room with us. Ri and I tear through our belongs as we hurriedly pack. We have to get moving _now!_ Ri goes on ahead to grab some food for the trip, but before we can walk out, I see someone trying to hide themselves in the corner of the hall next to our door—trying to blend in with the grass at our feet and stay within the cover of a rock as I pass by. Azalea.

"And what are you up to?" I ask. I don't mean to sound snippy, but I'm stressed and exhausted. What is she doing, trying to hide? Then again, the pack around her midsection gives me a pretty good idea.

"I…" she fumbles, a blush blossoming on her cheeks as she avoids looks us in the eyes, "I want to come too… I'm part of the team! I want to help!"

"You're an _apprentice,_ " I counter, then release a heavy sigh, "What we did yesterday… Look, that was nothing compared to what this is. What _Drowzee_ is. Just because we need him doesn't mean we trust him. I don't want you near him in case he tries anything."

She purses her lips at me, "You were an apprentice just a couple months ago. You're not much older than me, and I've heard stories from Celebi about the things you did when you were my age!"

"I did _a lot_ of things," I frown, "I hope you'll never have to do." I led an army. I abandoned one of the people I cared for most and let him sacrifice himself—twice. I watched people die and convinced an entire resistance to let themselves disappear over living in the world of the Dark Future. I've stolen aura in order to save myself. And now, maybe even my very existence…

Maybe she notices the grave tone in my voice, but she dips her head disappointedly and wanders back into the room she shares she Sunflora and Chimecho. No one should have to go through what we did, and she's still so new to all of this. We just can't risk exposing her to anything like this yet—she's still a rookie.

Someone taps my shoulder and I turn to find Wigglytuff facing me. He's better at reading people than anyone would normally think, and a part of me can't help but hope he doesn't pick up on my thoughts. "You're in charge of finding Drowzee," he reminds me with a smile, "So don't fail us!"

"We've faced him before," I shrug, "If we could go against Dialga, I think we can face him again."

We have to.


	39. Chapter 39: Guilt and Redemption

We took every kind of shortcut we could, from boarding a Rapidash's merchant wagon to finding an Abra and paying him to teleport us as near as possible to our destination. Even then, the remaining half day of our journey is spent scaling across mountaintops on foot. Maybe it's because I'm too tired to dream of anything, but in the very least nothing but a blanket of darkness manifests when I sleep during the nights as we travel.

By now, I'd have imagined that I've seen every kind of environment there is—from bustling cities in the human lands to the vast wilderness where only Pokemon live, the highest mountain peaks to the depths of the sea, and from endless deserts to frigid plains of ice and snow. Despite that, however, every new scene manages to surprise me. In this case, I've never seen so bleak a mountain passage as the one Ri and I walk through now. At best, the vegetation here can be called sparse and there's little to no signs of any natural water sources. Even for us, the rough terrain is difficult to maneuver through and the blazing sun does nothing to aid the climb up.

Still, according to Ri, this place is less known for its harsh landscape as it is its residents. Why anyone would choose to live here is beyond me, but there are apparently a handful of Pokemon who welcome the cruel conditions as a challenge to their strength and abilities. While only a few would be crazy enough to actually live here permanently, there are many who could here solely to train. Therefore, as one can imagine, there are several powerful Fighting-types in the area: To many of them, this territory would be ideal.

 _Well, if we ever wanted to leave the rest of the world behind, this would be the place to go._ I can't think of anyone who would want to follow us here and we'd fit in with the rest of the other Fighting-types. Or so I thought at first. I thought I knew what they'd be like based on Ri and his family, but they take one's fighting spirit to an entirely new extreme. I've never seen so many Pokemon so eager to beat each other to a pulp and laugh about it only minutes later.

There's no counting how many times we've been challenged to a spar already: It practically seems to be the culture here that the instant you cross paths with someone you have to fight them—to the point where it seems like it's almost rude not the greet them with your fists drawn at your sides. Ri says that they're just enthusiastic about battling, but I'd much rather have him by my side in a fight than any of them—not matter how tough they are in a fight. Something about it all goes beyond our base instincts and the thrill of combat.

Then again, many this is really just how most Fighting-types really are. Since we're naturally more inclined to combat over other types, this could be normal. I always knew that Ri was different, but what about me? I've always separated myself since I used to be human, yet I've felt things I don't think most humans typically do. The small glimmer of pride from sporting an injury or wearing your body to its limit, the restless desires to improve and take action, the unrivaled feeling of meeting an opponent who can match their strength with yours… I know what those are like.

I guess Ri's just unique and I'll always just be something in-between human and Pokemon. Maybe that's for the best—I mean, we're not breaking our knuckles by punching trees or boulders like some of the people here…

It's not like Fighting-types are the only Pokemon here, but from the kind we've been meeting I can't imagine why he'd be here. Drowzee might be a Psychic-type, but he couldn't beat the two of us back at the start of our team: Why in the world would he want to come to a place like this where he's surrounded by Pokemon who could send him flying with one swing of their backhand? 

"So this is Mt. Travail," my partner mumbles under his breath after we've scaled quite a ways up already. "We need Drowzee to help us figure out why Azurill won't wake up. We have to hurry! We've got to be at our best, Lira!"

It seems like he's talking to himself more than anything, but I reply to him anyway, "You know, he's probably not going to come back with us willingly, so be ready for Plan B: You distract him and I'll hit him in the back of the head with a rock." With a grunt, I pull myself over a sandstone slate to reach the level above us as Ri examines the path ahead to see if everything's clear. Mt. Travail covers a lot of ground, so we figured that—if we reached the highest point of it—if we didn't meet him along the way we could at least get a good look of the place to get an idea of where he could be.

The days spent travelling haven't changed my mind: I still hate having to find the crook. At least by now though, even if the very idea of it leaves me disgruntled, I can accept that he's our best chance. Well, our only decent idea anyway. I'll still keep a careful eye on him.

That's not the only thing the passing days have given me time to think over though. For some reason, I can't shake the feeling that what's happened to Azurill is somehow my fault. I don't know why, but that's what I think. It's just too perfect timing to not be and the thought if it is eating me alive. I should be able to protect people—Ri, Grovyle, Manaphy, Azurill—but I just keep putting them in danger. Normally it's someone else who has to get hurt trying to protect _me_! And I _hate_ it! I'm just—!

I don't know what kind of person I am: Someone who acts confident, but then needs saving; someone strong enough to fight a legendary, but someone who can't even look after a child; someone who can lead an army, but who lets everyone suffer around her. A Guardian of Light: A scared, confused teenager. The Child of the Dimensional Scream: A naïve, dumb kid. I'm not a hero. Maybe I shouldn't even—

"Lira?"

I blink back to the present, looking up to find Ri looking at me with obvious concern. At some point, I guess I just stopped. My legs don't want to go forward and I feel like I've awoken from a daze. "Sorry…" I don't even know why I'm apologizing.

"Do you need to rest for a minute?" he offers, and I nod. I might as well go with that.

Still, we can't really afford to stop either. I think fast. "Do you think either of us could remember Drowzee's aura signature enough to find him?" We tried that when we first got here, but maybe we just weren't within range. As Riolu, our powers are fairly limited after all. "It wouldn't hurt to try again."

He grins at that, the soft glow of his aura flickering in his eyes before he seals them shut and his aura sensors rise alongside his head. I do the same, feeling the gentle thrum of my aura resonate as the reach of my senses expand beyond the piece of trail we walk on now. The people within range seem to typically lean toward one side or the other from what we can make out: Most seem to be physically powerful, but there's a handful of signatures that appear sickly—probably from trying to live under the harsh conditions of this place. There aren't many this high up the path—most Pokemon are cloistered in a settlement near the bottom of the mountain—but we do sense one person at the peak above us. There doesn't seem to be any other aura users around here, but their signature is distinct in a similar way.

"We've finally got a bit of luck on our side for a change," Ri mutters no sooner have I reached the same conclusion: Drowzee has to be up there, or if not then some other Psychic-type would might could tell us where he's gone.

Ri goes on ahead and I follow after him, willing my legs into motion. Up here, there's even less foliage than there is in the dusty valley far below us: Just a handful of yellowish shrubbery scattered around us as another reminder of how unforgiving the land is. Up here though, we also see the welcoming stretch of green in the distance across the jagged landscape, beckoning us back westward.

Helping me up the last, large steps to the peak, he cranes his head around to look over his shoulder, "Hey, isn't that Drowzee there?" My eyes follow his to confirm his words to spot a lone figure gazing out across the horizon at the mountain's edge. I don't have to see the Pokemon's face: I recognize his stout figure and yellow and brown skin easily enough. That's him alright: Even if he wasn't the only one of his kind here, I'd know it.

"Drowzee!" Ri shouts as we sprint the remaining distance to the Psychic-type. There's a certain tinge of authority to his voice, but also desperation. No matter what, we have to bring Drowzee back with us.

The latter snaps his gaze around, clearly not expecting company. However, his initial look of surprise pales in comparison to the fearful confusion that then takes over him. "You two?!" he cries, nearly shuffling back as we approach before he freezes in realization of how precariously close he is to the side of the cliff. He braces his arms at his side, curling his hands into fists. "What did you come here for?! I… I've kept my nose clean! I've stayed out of a life of crime!"

If there's one reaction I wasn't prepared for, it was for him to be _scared_ of us. I actually feel a little guilty about it… I keep back, since the last thing we need is a conflict if we can help it. It'll be so much easier if he'll just come along with us willingly. I'll keep an eye out in case he tries anything, but Ri's the more diplomatic one out of the two of us.

He takes just one, cautionate step forward—his hands raised passively. "W-wait! That's not it, Drowzee," he insists, "We're not here to arrest you, but we _are_ here for you." My partner casts me a faint glance and I nod—there's simply no other way—so he then says, "We need your help."

The baffled silence that follows could almost be comical if it didn't grate on my nerves with each wasted second that passes. Drowzee's eyes narrow at us disbelievingly, and I can tell he's questioning whether or not we're just playing some kind of trick on it. He eventually, presses a finger against his chest and quirks a brow at us, "H-huh? Me? You need _my_ help?"

"Yes," Ri sighs, "You remember that little Azurill, right? That Azurill has been locked in sleep and won't wake up." Arceus, he better remember…

"Huh?" he repeats, seemingly still have in a daze over us coming to him over this. He shakes his head, blinking rapidly, "That Azurill tyke?"

"No one know why he won't wake up. That's when we heard that you, Drowzee, can possibly enter dreams. That's why we searched for you." My partner looks imploringly at the other. I know he's not the sort to beg for anything—that's one measure of a Fighting-type's pride he's not above showing—but in this case, he's willing to lower himself to it. That's how badly he wants Azurill to be cured. "So Drowzee, how about it? Will you help us?"

But he looks away, to his right and down to the earth at his feet, "I…I…" he mumbles to himself. Just what exactly is going on inside that head of his? The turmoil of emotions churning in him are strong enough for even me to partially feel them—guilt, fear, confusion, resentment—still, this is important! He should know that, otherwise, we wouldn't be here! We wouldn't have crossed the continent to find him!

I can't help but snap. "We've already tried everything and he won't wake up!" I scream. I see him flinch in reaction and the words continue to tear from my throat nonetheless, "If you really want to redeem yourself, then help us saved Azurill!"

Another instant of silence passes. I shouldn't shout at him, I know it, but this isn't the sort of thing you take the time to think over either. For all we know, Azurill could be slipping away from us right now. Drowzee sighs, "I did a rotten thing to that little Azurill way back when… I don't know if this would ever make up for it, but… If it would help Azurill, even a little…" Finally, he brings his gaze back upward, "I don't know how useful I can be, but I'd be glad to help if you let me."

There's no containing my relief and Ri's joy at that. I first I can't believe it: I stare back with just as dumbfounded a look as the one he first gave us. Soon enough though, a faint smile breaks its way onto my lips.

"Lead me back to Azurill," he nods, "Let's not waste time!"

My partner races so fast for the trail back down the mountain that his aura signature seems to be moving faster than his body can keep up with. "Ok, it's this way! Quick!"

Still, Drowzee calls after him, "We can teleport to Treasure Town. It'll be quicker: I know a guy."

How exactly he knows him or who the guy is, he doesn't bother to elaborate. We do, however, let him take the lead from there. We don't exactly have the time to question it and it couldn't be a trap. We've got Drowzee now, so things should be ok. Everything's going to be ok…

As we job down the way we came, Drowzee casts me a sidelong glance before snorting just above a whisper, "What about you, girly? You don't seem to be getting _enough_ sleep."

"Hush you."


	40. Chapter 40: Undaunted

Drowzee's friend ended up being a Claydoll, and thanks to him we were able to make it back to Treasure Town in an instant. One minute, we're standing in someone's home in a cave a two hour walk from the base of Mt. Travail. Then, for what seemed to be a few brief seconds, a dizzying feeling took over us –teleporting reminds me far too much of when I disappeared and reappeared when the future was changed. Then, finally, we were home again.

And now we're here, back in our room at the Guild with Azurill sprawled on the bed and Drowzee sitting across from us at his side. Since we left, Marill has been looking after him with the other members of the Guild taking shifts to do anything they can to help. Chansey's been visiting them as well. Marill wanted to stay to watch after his brother while the psychic looked over him, but I don't know if it's a good idea: Even with what Drowzee's explained to us about his species' abilities so far, there's still a chance that this might not work.

Drowzee isn't called the Hypnosis Pokemon for nothing: They're known for putting others to sleep and eating their dreams. As Psychic-types, they can even transfer those dreams to others. Bidoof and Chatot were right to consider him for this. Still, the way things are looking…

It's been so long since any of us have said a word: Almost as soon as we walked in here, Drowzee knelt to the ground and got to work. A pinkish glow possessed him and his eyes glazed over—we could tell that he wasn't with us anymore, not mentally. Whenever he went when he began to search through Azurill's dreams, we decided not to disturb him. After the longest while, however, Drowzee stirs. I guess this is what prompts my partner to finally question him, "How's it going, Drowzee? Can you do something?"

Not a second after, the glow around him fades and he snaps back into consciousness, blinking his eyes rapidly as if to clear his head. His eyes flicker around the room for a moment as he checks his surroundings before they finally land on Ri and me. And then he stares. My brows furrow as he just stares at us for the longest while before speaking, "Oh, you two!" It's like he forgot we were even here. "I want you to get stocked up for an exploration."

… _What?_

"What?" The exclamation just slips from my mouth. I gawk at him, disbelieving. Where does he think we're going to go? We brought him here to see if he could help Azurill, and now he's sending us out? We should be here for the poor kid! "Is…" I choose my words carefully, fighting the betrayal of the tone of my own frustration, "Is there some kind of special medicine we need to find, or…"

He shakes his head, "When you're all ready, I'll send you on an exploration of Azurill's dream."

The explanation doesn't help at all. "We thought you were going to show us what Azurill's dreaming about to find a way to cure him," I frown. I could understand things a little better if he said he was going to transfer or connect our consciousness to Azurill's, but that wouldn't explain the need to pack. "You can't _really_ go into someone's mind, right? It's impossible."

"It _is_ possible," he presses with a stern tone, "Difficult, but possible. It's an old technique that only a few kinds of people can use—specifically my species and Munna: There's just hardly ever a need for it.

"Even I've heard the story about you two going to Dialga's realm, so I know the both of you know that there are other worlds besides ours. There are pocket dimensions that only legendaries can access, there's the Spirit World, and then there's the Dream World. And that's just naming a few basics. Plenty of Ghost-types travel to and from the Spirit World whenever they want. I can do the same with the Dream World—or in this case send you both after Azurill to see wherever his consciousness has gone."

"But how?" Ri's ears tilt back despairingly, "And even if you _can_ put us in Azurill's dream, what are we even supposed to do?"

"It won't be much different than teleporting," Drowzee assures us with a pacifying motion of his hand, "The Dream World exists with its own set of natural laws: People caught in a deep sleep or trapped within their own minds can find themselves there by accident in a temporary form. If a Pokemon with my powers is strong enough, they can even summon the consciousness of others as they dream. Azurill's mind is locked away somewhere deep inside the Dream World. If there's any chance of getting him out of there, someone should physically go in after him."

 _Summoning others as they dream…_ My thoughts go to Cresselia. Could she have similar powers? It would explain why my dreams with her seemed so real. They weren't memories: They felt more like visions. What if the times I entered that place she was really pulling me into the Dream World so she could talk to me? And that would mean…

"Yes!" Ri exclaims, practically beaming. With his hands balled and held in front of his chest, he snaps his gaze to the eldest of the two young Water-types, "Marill! We can tackle the mystery of the unending nightmare now!"

Can we though? This is unlike anything we've ever done before, and we're still not entirely sure about what we have to do on top of that. It's not like we can show much of that side in front of Marill though: We have to keep his hopes up. And I know we're both willing to try anything.

"Great!" Marill smiles for what feels like the first time in forever, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"But I want you to be extra careful when you're inside the kid's dream!" Drowzee interrupts, "There's something rotten about it… I have a feeling that something has gone bad or wrong. On top of that—since your physical selves are going into the Dream World—if anything happens to you in there, it's over. You won't wake up: You'll be gone for good."

Right: It's no ordinary dream. Everything in that world will be as good as real to us. Real hunger, real pain, real death. Ri winces at that, the excitement in his eyes swiftly turning to fear at the bleakness of the situation we're walking into, "Is that right…? Ok, we'll be on our guard."

"One more thing: I want only you two to enter the dream." As Drowzee says this, he gives a pointed look Marill's way. Yeah, there's no way we'd even consider bringing him along if it's as dangerous as he says it is. "I'd prefer to go as well, but…" he raises his shoulders in an awkward shrug, "In all honesty, at my skill level, I think I'd slow you down too much. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you, but…"

"No, there's no need for that!" Ri tries to brush away his trepidation by reassuring the ex-criminal, "Sending us into the dream is more than enough! Thank you, Drowzee."

I take a look into our Treasure Bag to see what we have. We haven't unpacked anything from when we left the Guild, but we didn't exactly get a chance to restock on anything on the way either. Still, we over-prepared for our trip to Mt. Travail: All the shortcuts there and back mean that we still have a few days' worth of food and equipment that we didn't use. I don't know how time works in the Dream World, but I don't think we'll be gone long enough to worry about running out of anything.

"I can't think of anything we'd need that we don't already have on us," I muse aloud, closing the flap of our bag. "I don't know how the Dream World works, but I'd say we're well enough equipped. We have to get moving."

Even if there was something left for us to get, I wouldn't want to. I don't want to hesitate for a moment, because I'm starting to wonder if I'll even be able to keep moving forward at this rate. Like, if I stop, I won't be able to take another step. I'll really fall apart.

I sent a letter to Grovyle and the others to let them know about the situation before we left to go find Drowzee. By now, hopefully they know what's happening or are even on their way home. Either way, I kind of wish any one of them we here with us right now. I think we could use the support.

"Will you both be ok?" Marill asks in a quiet voice as Ri and I rise to our feet.

My partner nods, "Just watch after your brother while we're gone. We'll make it back: I promise."

"Are you two ready to go into the dream?" Drowzee releases a heavy sigh, as if he's not really ready himself.

"I think we're as ready as we'll ever be," I murmur. Honestly though, I'm terrified. What if we can't bring Azurill back? What if we end up not being able to get back home ourselves?

"Yes! We're all set!" Ri answers, stretching his left arm. But from the way his tail hangs low, I can tell he's no more eager about this than I am. I shuffle closure to him consolingly, taking his hand in my own as I tightly grip the strap of our bag with the other. We one, shared look, we steel ourselves for whatever is going to happen next.

"Good. Then come over here." Standing up with a grunt, he motion us even closer to Azurill, "I'm going to send you into Azurill's dream. When you're in there, try to keep a clear head and don't stray into any foggy areas. Now, you might feel a little sick—you'll be fine…" He takes a deep breath, holding his hands out toward us, "Here goes…"

After everything I've experienced, I don't see how another portal or form of teleportation could make me queasy, but I could be wrong. The pinkish radiance returning to his form, Drowzee begins to wave his hands in a hypnotic manner and no sooner have I focused on the fluid motions of his arms do I find the world around me going fuzzy and my ears assaulted by a dull ring. The ground under me seems to shift at an angle—like a ship dipping low to one side as a wave rocks under it—and then it feels almost like I'm floating. My head feels like it's spinning and the colors before me mottle and blur until I _have_ to close my eyes.

The last thing I see is a violet wave passing over me before the ringing in my ears turns into a loud, warbling thrum.


	41. Chapter 41: Denizens of a Nightmare

I can't really say I fell unconscious since I don't remember blacking out: I just know that when my head finally seems to clear I'm on my hands and knees on a strange, gravelly stretch of earth tinged a deep, blue-violet hue. For a moment, I'm not even sure if what I'm seeing is real or if we're still caught in the warp Drowzee sent us in to enter the dream. The way the world seems to distort before my eyes combined with the throbbing sensation at my temples forces me to look away as I try to recompose myself.

I didn't think this could be worse than what we experienced in the Passage of Time or when we headed to the Hidden Land, but I do feel sick. It's as though my organs have been scrambled around inside my body!

Someone takes me by my wrist and carefully helps me back onto my feet. "Easy now… I think we made it," I hear Ri mutter as he braces me while I try to find my own footing.

We both managed to make it here together: That much is good at least. Stifling an aching moan, I raise my head to take my first real look at our surroundings, only… Well, it's not as though there's much to them right now. Lavender stone walls tinted with grey leave only one direction for us to go in along the blue-violet path of luminescent rocks. There's no light or sound save for in the space we're now in. Everything else is bathed in darkness, including the small space before the trail ahead that seemingly drops off into an endless abyss.

The change is drastic compared to the visions I had of wavering lights in my dreams. Is this area different because we're in Azurill's dream or because we're in another part of the Dream World? _Do I really what to know?_ I think to myself. While I'm curious, a part of me already wants to go back home.

"Is this inside the dream…?" Ri asks numbly, his gaze betraying bewilderment.

I don't get the opportunity to answer him back. Suddenly, a voice ricochets within the confines of my skill and I flinch, raising a hand to my head in reaction. "Ri! Lira! Can you hear me? It's me, Drowzee."

I share a look with my partner to seem him going through the same shock as I am. This isn't like the telepathy he could use in the future: It's like the Psychic-type is actually in my mind. I can barely hear my own thoughts over him when he speaks.

"Yes! We hear you!" Ri answers aloud, his mouth twisted in discomfort as one of his ears flits back and forth as if it tickles him. When he shouts, it's almost like he's trying to call Drowzee from somewhere in the distance. I don't know how all of this works, but it does.

"Good," Drowzee answers, "It sounds like you're safely inside."

"In a manner of speaking," I grimace, "We're alright, but we have no idea where we are. This whole area is just dark and empty."

"As I've said before, there's something very bad about this dream. I don't think I need to remind you, but be careful in there."

"Ok! Thanks Drowzee!" My partner's gaze falls on me once more before we turn to face the bleak passage that lies ahead, "Let's get going. Into the dream."

* * *

The one advantage we had in this bizarre world was a straight path, and that quickly evaporates the deeper in we go. The walls stretch on endlessly in a vast, confusing labyrinth with interchanging passages that can abruptly fall out from under us at a moment's notice and rebuild elsewhere. Below us is less than a meter's thickness of rock condensed and hovering above the bottomless void that would otherwise swallow us whole. Some pathways are so narrow that they could barely be called crawl-spaces, evoking a claustrophobic feel whenever we have to travel through one of them.

We're not really sure where we're going—on top of everything else, this place really seems to mess with our aura—but if we keep walking then surely we'll run into Azurill eventually. Or if not them, then maybe whatever could be keeping him trapped here. This entire area is just something that Azurill pulled from his mind, right? It can't be all that big.

As overwhelmingly confusing as the passages are though, the place just feels so empty. Barren. It doesn't seem like anything Azurill would dream at all. I don't know what scares him, but I doubt mazes and cramped spaces are high on his list of fears.

So what? Do we just find our way over to the other side of this maze and hope the he's at the end of it? It's obvious that we're fumbling for any clues, but I can't think of anything else. There are no footprints, no inscriptions, nothing that could even work as a checkpoint… There are no signs to indicate where Azurill could be or which way we should go.

Walking by my side, Ri releases a long, drawn out yawn, "I can't even tell how long we've been in here." He looks up futilely at the black expanse of nothingness that makes up the 'sky,' narrowing his eyes up at it. "I just released we haven't stopped to rest once since we headed out for Mt. Travail first thing this morning… Here though, all of that seems so far away."

"Well, we are stuck inside a dream." I stop to examine a fork in the paths in front of us, but of course there's no way I can distinguish the two routes: Pursing my lips, I just pick a trail, grab a stone from the ground, and scratch a rough shape along the wall in attempts to mark it in case we end up looping back here somehow. It hasn't helped us yet, but I'd still rather have them than not. "For all we know, time might not even work here like it does back home."

Nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that we're both getting tired and hungry. It's beginning to show too. There's still the possibility that we might find something further ahead: Rather than stop, I pull out our canteen and a couple of Bluk berries. The tart flavor seeping from the juice makes my mouth curl when I bite through the skin of the fruit. I like them made in other things, but raw they're not my favorite. To me, their only appeal is that they wake me up a bit and leave behind a sweet aftertaste—

…I spot something move from the edge of my sight. It's only for a split second, but it's unmistakable: A thin, cream-colored tail tipped by a fluffy sprout of black fur disappearing around another corner. "Miltank…?" I can only assume he's here for one of two reasons: Either he's asleep and dreaming or he's just a figment created by Azurill's dream.

Grabbing Ri by the hand, I pull him after me to follow after the Normal-type. Sure enough, I recognize the explosive markings on the latter's back that look similar to a Numel's patterns. It's the same Miltank that makes deliveries in Treasure Town every couple of weeks or so.

"Miltank!" Ri shouts after them. Of course he recognizes the other Pokemon too. Even if Miltank isn't real, he's the only person or thing we've seen in this place besides ourselves. Maybe he can help us. "Miltank, it's us! Ri and Lira!" Dragging me along this time, Ri begins to chase after him.

But the latter doesn't even turn around to look at us. He freezes in place for a moment before taking off at a mad dash—like he's trying to escape something. Us? No, why would he run from us? More baffling than that though is the fact that he actually _can_ outrun us. His species isn't known for their speed like ours is. I can't make sense of it when he just keeps getting further and further away until he disappears around a corner. By the time we round it ourselves, he's already been swallowed by any of the four paths that break away from the one we're standing on.

Great. Our first clue here in an instant and gone in another… But what was that about? This place is so empty that there isn't even anything to be afraid of in it. Couldn't he recognize us? Well, since this is Azurill's dream, maybe not. Even if he is real, it's not like we've seen him very often anyway, so maybe he wouldn't know who we are.

"Lira, do you hear that?" My partner whispers, his ears flicking back and forth anxiously. I tilt my head, straining to hear anything at all until finally a soft cry reverberates from a passage to our right. It sounds like a child's: A little girl's. "I _know_ that voice," he insists, "That's Loudred's little sister, Whismur! She goes to school with Marill and Azurill."

Whismur? Right, she's visited Loudred before at the Guild a handful of times. Unlike him, she's also so incredibly quiet and shy that one can easily forget that she's even in the same room. We take off in the direction of the noise and enter a small space with two opposing trails and a tiny figure huddled in a corner. It's her alright. Still, after Miltank's reaction, we're both hesitant to just walk straight up to her.

Ri moves closer to her with light, careful steps. "Whismur…? Hey, it's Team Crusade" he speaks in a faint voice, like he doesn't want to scare her off, "You know us, right? We're from Wigglytuff's Guild? We're Loudred's friends?"

Her sobs morph into quiet whimpers, but she doesn't move or look away from the wall. Ri moves a little closer before kneeling to the ground—just over an arm's length away from her—as I stay back and shift uneasily in place. First we find Miltank and he runs from us and now we find Whismur crying. I look around us searchingly. We've been alone up until now, but is there some kind of threat that we don't know about lurking here?

The little girl murmurs something in such a low voice that either of us can decipher her before another choked sob leaves her. Ri reaches out a hand toward her quivering form. "We can… we can help you. You just have to tell us what's wrong…" His fingers grip her shoulder consolingly.

"Stay away…" The words carry just about a whisper and are still almost inaudible, but the cold way they're said reaches us loud and clear. She abruptly snaps around to glare at us, her gaze clouded with terror. Her ears aggressively extend away from her head and we barely have enough time to convey our astonishment before her voice swiftly rises into an ear splitting cry:

" _Stay away!"_

With a sharp hiss, I quickly cover my ears. It feels like my head could split open! Whismur's ear-splitting shriek is enough for the sound waves to rattle the very air and with each passing second I can _feel_ it getting worse. She must be using Echoed Voice! My partner jumps away from her, shielding his own ears. "Ri, let's just go!" I scream, but I don't think he can hear me. I can barely hear myself over Whismur and the painful ringing in my ears. He only moves when I start walking toward one of the passages.

"There they are!" a young man's baritone exclaims with a sharp edge to his cry. I look behind me to see Miltank following us from the same way we had entered the clearing. And there's a wickedness to his expression that I don't recognize. What I _do_ recognize, however, is the all too familiar face of the person behind him. I freeze where I stand, my mouth falling in numb shock.

"Guildmaster?!" Ri shouts, his voice tearing above the dulling sound of Whismur's Echoed Voice as the latter dives behind the approaching pair, "Guildmaster, what's going on?!" I know he's having such as much trouble as I am handling this, but this isn't real—none of this is real! They're copies!

The firmly drawn mouth and loathing stare is completely polar to the bubbly nature of our own Wigglytuff. The light is his eyes that's always there is completely dead, replaced with a look of someone who's experienced too many horrors in his lifetime. He keeps his stern gaze on us, barely noting that Whismur is there with a quick motion of his hand to keep the kid back as he and Miltank close in on us. "I should never have let you two into the Guild," he says in an uncharacteristically flat tone, "I should've had the both of you thrown in prison on day one. You two are nothing but a threat to everyone around you."

'What are you talking about?!" My partner tries to step toward him, but I block his way with my arm. This isn't real: This isn't our Guildmaster.

"I'll fix that mistake here and now!"

I'm not listening to any more of this! Channeling my energy into my hands, I manifest an Aura Sphere and swiftly launch it at them. A knot forms in my stomach when I can't Ri's horrified expression, but Miltank jumps in the way—using Protect to summon a shimmering barrier against the attack. I didn't plan on it doing much anyway: We just have to get out of here. No sooner has he moved in place, I've grabbed Ri by the wrist—darting into the nearest pathway. Wigglytuff's booming shout follows us as he uses Hyper Voice and a hail of dust chases after us as we run.

 _This isn't real._

We come to an intersection within the maze and a darkened haze flies within my line of vision. We barely have time to skid to a halt as the rancid mass collides into the wall, missing us just by a hair. Sludge Bomb. I snap my gaze to where it came from to find a Croagunk charging toward us. A copy of _our_ Croagunk. This time, Ri's the one to spur me into action—giving me a light shove to keep going.

 _This isn't real._

We reach another clearing not much different than the one we left behind, but before we can dart into the opposite passage, a Spinda, Wynaut, and Wobbuffet come pouring out of it. We spin on our heels to veer past them and dart onto another path.

"After them!"

 _This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real!_

I scream, ducking my head on instinct as a wave of miasmic energy from Venoshock soars over us. My eyes frantically look around for any sign of cover until the land on a thin space in the wall up ahead that we should be able to just barely squeeze through. I pick up the pace in an instant, going for it at a mad dash with Ri at my heels.

Before I can motion him inside, he pushes me toward it with enough force that I have to quickly brace myself against the rock, my palms striking its rugged surface. I can't even say a word as he continues to shove me further in, summoning his staff of aura in his other hand. "I'm right behind you!" he assures me in a panicked, hurried tone.

With that, I have no choice but to squeeze my body through the crevice in the opposite direction. I can't stop my heart from pounding—it feels like it's going to explode out of my chest! Something catches on our Treasure Bag, but not for long as it gives way with an awful, wrenching sound of the fabric tearing. My eyes shoot up in a moment of terror as Ri barks a harsh grunt, but I see him scooting in after me as promised.

This really is a nightmare! Is Azurill spent all this time being chased by these things? No, what if it's worse? What if they've got him?! I grimace darkly at the thought. They're not real: They're twisted and beyond natural! They're—

The crevice abruptly widens and I trip, my body crashing into the ground. I scramble away from it along the ground to make room for Ri and no sooner has he also broken free do I launch a second Aura Sphere into the heart of it. At least one thing makes sense in this madhouse: I can still cause some massive destruction if I have to! It gives in, the way collapsing with an eruption of rock and dust.

Ri and I each take our own time to recover in the silence that follows. He pushes himself all the way to the far wall of the tiny, cramped space we now find ourselves in. As his back collides with the stone, he cups his head in his hands, gulping down breaths of air. I draw my knees to my chest, working hard to suppress the shiver that washes over me.

I don't even want to think of what just happened, so I busy myself by examining our bag. Yeah, there's a tear alright, right in the bottom left corner… Not a big one—it doesn't seem like we lost anything—but it's there…

 _Arceus, Azurill, where are you…?_

I can't sew. I never learned in the corrected timeline and it was never a requirement in the Dark Future, on top of there being no one around to teach me. I think I saw other people do it once or twice though enough to get a small idea of how to it. We don't exactly have the right tools, but I break off the tips of one of our Iron Thorns and tie the remaining thread around the largest tip of it. My hands don't want to do what I tell them to, and it takes a lot longer than it really should to stitch up the hole. I can't really figure out what to do after I'm finished with the small task, so I just pull the improvised needle on the inside of the bag and position it so it won't slip out on it's own. _Probably…_ It's shoddy work—I can hear a chorus of Sewaddle screaming at me now over how bad it is—but I'm hoping it'll hold. At least maybe it won't get any worse until we can get out of this place.

Ri shuffles beside me leaning his head back against the wall. It's then that I notice the odd coloration flushed across his cheeks. "You know…" he sighs, motioning toward the crevice and letting his hand drop weakly beside him, "That was our only was in and out of here…"

"You're poisoned," I wince, finishing for a Heal Seed out of our things. I crawl over to him and he carefully takes it from my hand, gazing at it sourly before slipping it past his lips. "They'll probably be looking for us for a while: We should try to wait them out for a bit. When the time comes, we'll make our own exit."

"Maybe we should invest in a couple more Pecha Scarves when we make it back home…" He motions for the canteen: I reach behind me to get it before passing it onto him.

After that, it's quiet again. I don't think either of us want to afford risking any sound with those copies after us. For all we know, one of them might decide to try to scale the towering walls to try and find us.


	42. Chapter 42: The Deep Abyss

It takes us a while to get moving again. Even though it's impossible to tell how much time has passed here, we probably wait at least a good hour before deeming it safe enough to leave our hiding place and continue onward through the maze. With our combined strengths, we both use Aura Sphere to break through one of the walls and rush away from the scene. If those copies are still close enough around to have heard that, we want to be gone by the time they arrive to investigate.

It would help if we could actually sense them, but I don't even think that they _have_ aura signatures. We can still manifest our own aura into attacks, thankfully, but it seems to be useless when it comes to finding our way around in this world. Trying to reach out with our senses just leaves us staring into an empty void. We can't seem to even sense each other's signatures. Having been able to rely on my aura for so long now, I can't help but feel bitter over the fact that we can't use it now. It's almost as bad as losing my sight.

More than anything, it'll just make it that much harder to find Azurill. I guess, if all else fails, we could try calling for Drowzee. I'd hate to shout for him now, with those things after us, but we should be able to talk to him just by calling to him like normal, right? At least, that's how it worked before—granted, he contacted us first through our minds… I don't know if I'll ever entirely understand Psychic-types and their abilities.

All of a sudden, the ground begins to shake beneath us, a clear indication that the maze is changing again. It's more intense this time though: We must be right in the heart of an altering passageway. Sure enough, the wall to our right begins to quiver dangerously, and soon it crumbles open itself with a harsh split opening near its center. We run to avoid the falling stone and mortar as it crashes to the piece of earth we had been standing in mere seconds earlier.

Ahead of us, however, the maze begins to alter to an even greater extreme: A rift opens up across the wide clearing we soon enter, splitting further and further apart like a gaping maw to the dark abyss—prepared to swallow us whole. Dust spurring at our feet, we run for it. Ri lunges across the ever widening gap—

I skid to a halt, dragging my heels into the earth to avoid tumbling over the edge and into endless void. I know I'm not going to make it. No sooner does my partner land on his feet on the other side—missing the edge by a few, blessed centimeters—he spins back around to look at me. Even in his gaze, I can tell he knows how pointless it would be to try to jump the gap by now.

I see him bite his lower lip, his brows furrowed in a moment's panic before he raises his eyes at me with a determined expression, "Take the right path and try not to go too far. We can meet back up!"

I try to hold back a frown. I know he's trying to remain positive, but I don't like our odds… Still, I nod: We don't have any choice. Giving each other one, last look, we dart off our separate ways before the area can completely deteriorate around us.

 _Things just keep going from bad to worse…_ I manage to scramble to safety before the floor can give way from enter me and keep running—looking for any opportunity to move in the direction Ri was headed in. Despite my best efforts, however, there simply aren't any trails that lead his way. _Just our luck…_

Out of all the strange things about this nightmare, there is one thing that's starting to wear on my mind more than anything else. Drowzee told us before we even got here that there was something bad about this dream, but while I can understand that this place can be terrifying, I haven't seen anything distinct that would prey on Azurill's fears. Though I guess having all of your friends suddenly turn on you would be pretty awful. Still, I wouldn't have expected this dream to have affected us: Nevertheless, the false people here obviously know who we are. And they don't want us here.

Maybe it's a good thing that just Ri and I entered this dream alone: I can't imagine how horrible it would've been to bring a bunch of people here with us only to lose each other amid the copies. Since this is Azurill's mind, I imagine they know just as much as Azurill does about us—so it's especially dangerous.

I'd hate to say it, but if we can't find Azurill and need to go back home, maybe we should send in another experienced team instead of coming back here ourselves. A team we can trust but that Azurill doesn't know so that they won't be affected by the fakes…

Finally, I see what I've been hoping for: A way to round my way over to where Ri should be. Turning a sharp corner and onto an angling trail, I find the walls around me steadily giving way to heaps of rubble in a gradual path of destruction. I'm tempted to stopping here, because at least Ri should be able to spot me easier, but I also worry about the copies being about to do the same. Eventually, the rubble tapers into nothing as I'm spilled into another clearing with three of four sides left open to the darkness.

A wave of relief passes over me as I spot the blue and grey form of my partner already there. It's a miracle that the two of us were able to find this area without running into trouble. However, as I walk closer to him from behind, I begin to notice something… off…

At first I can't make sense of what it is, then I begin to think it's some kind of deformity and that maybe this is some kind of nightmare version of him. The thought keeps me back long enough to take in ever more detail though, and what I instead see rattle me to my core. After figure holds him tightly, the colors of their own fur blending with his. I recognize them from their slim waist, to their long hair, to the Treasure Bag hanging from their side.

I recognize them because they _are_ me.

There's nothing for me to do but look on in horror as this false Lira's eyes rise to meet mine and she pulls herself away from my partner's embrace. There's obvious shock and confusion in her gaze, and soon enough Ri catches on to the tense moment and looks back at me with a gaze that's doubly baffled. He says nothing, snapping his gaze back and forth because us two versions of each other before the other Lira steps forward and motions him behind her.

This action is what pushes my nerves enough for a growl to reverberate from my throat at my duplicate. "Ri, get away from her! She's one of those copies!"

"Excuse me?" she snaps back just as fiercely, her eyes narrowing my way. She then casts a glance at my partner, "She's not real. She's another one of them! You can tell, right?"

"No, he can't!" I bark back, taking a step closer, "Neither of us have been able to sense anything since we got here! Ri, you need to move!"

But all he does is take a few hesitant steps back from the both of us, his eyes betraying confliction. "I… I-I don't…" he shakes his head. He doesn't know which one of us to trust.

But I can't just wait around for him to make a decision on which of us is real. Summoning an Aura Sphere in one hand, I propel it at the copy—only, much to my surprise, she does the same in near perfect sync to my own movements. I barely have time to throw my body out of the way as it comes barreling straight for me, and I look up from my crouched position on the ground to find her landing on her feet from spinning in the air and out of harm's way.

No sooner does she land, she darts toward me while using Quick Attack. I bring my arms up in the nick of time to block her, gritting my teeth together from the ferocity behind the blow, and use Counter to strike her in the abdomen. Dragging her feet along the earth as she's knocked back, she stops herself from losing her balance and charges at me again with an enraged cry.

As with most of the other copies, the speed with which she moves is beyond natural. I can't bring my arms up in time to block her again as she lashed out at me with Force Palm and all the power of a battering ram. The air is knocked out of my lungs in an instant and I'm sent flying. I land on my side and hit the ground rolling. But the strength of my opponent is nothing compared to the new worry that forms when I try to push myself up onto my feet to keep up the fight.

And that's that I can barely move. A feeling like a numbing, electric buzz coursing through my veins takes over my body. It's rare, but I've used Force Palm on criminals enough to know what's happened: I've been paralyzed.

I grimace. I don't have the liberty of playing nice with this thing, but I get the feeling that this false version of me can take everything I can do and deal it back tenfold. What can I do?!

With a loud screech, she lunges into the air to attack. To my astonishment, a torrent of flames lick along her foot as she drops upon me—Blaze Kick, how can she know Blaze Kick?! _This isn't real…_ I keep telling myself not for the first time since we've been here. I brace myself for the pain to come, muscles tensing as the horror of the flames draws closer.

And then my body seems to move on its own accord. Screaming, I shift with along the ground despite the tearing pain it reaps on my limbs and kick out at her as she swoops over me—striking her in the chest and tossing her over me.

And then she screams! As the muscles in my limbs give away, I drop onto my stomach and, shakenly, peer around to find her launched beyond the safety of the clearing. There's no wall to protect her—she just drops like a stone into the abyss—too far away from the edge to even attempt to reach it.

Something in me breaks as I watch her fall beyond our line of sight. I've… I never meant to do that, I've never had to do something like that before… This isn't real. I didn't kill her since she was never alive to begin with, but the impact is still there. And another thing—to see a copy of myself, to _destroy_ a copy of myself…

I'm shivering. I can't stop it. So it comes as a blessing when a Ri scoops me up in his arms and braces me against him. I feel like I want to cry, but the tears won't come. I can't even bring myself to say a word. And so we both just stay quiet and he holds me. Shifting me in his arms, he has me lean my head against his shoulder.

That's when a sharp pain then slices its way through my side.

In no way am I ready for it—how could I be? And so my mouth just falls open limply as I release a gasp of breath at the brutal impalement. W-what is this…? It digs even deeper into my flesh, with slow, torturous purpose and I cry out in agony! I feel something rain down my leg—my blood—and my thoughts fall into a deeper state of disarray and horror.

Ri pulls away from me—no… Not Ri. It's a copy—I fell into the snare of another copy—and he grins. There's a wicked gleam of insanity to his eyes as he continues to dig the sharpened edge of a staff into my flesh. I try to force myself away from him, but he holds me fast with his other hand, his grip as strong as it is painful. Then, to my disgust, he pulls me close to him once more to whisper in my ear as I squeeze my eyes shut.

"You're not a human or a Pokemon: You're just a mistake. That's why everyone you love gets hurt in the end. Really, you should've just stayed gone…"

A scream tears from my throat again as the weapon is forcibly torn from my body before I collapse to the ground in a heap. I remain frozen, mentally kicking myself for my own stupidly and still in shock over what just happened. Soon enough though, I blink my eyes upward wearily to see double. It's either my vision is starting to distort whatever 'reality' is in front of me, or there are two of Ri now. The only difference is in their staffs: One is shaped like a typical bone while the other seems to be broken on the end—fashioned as an improvised dagger with flecks of crimson coating its sharpened end.

I'm beaten and bleeding and tired: I can't make much sense of the fight until the end, when the first Ri twists his body around the other to wail him with one, blunt end of his weapon against the back of his skull. The latter falls it his knees, but his smile is sickening, undeterred by the wailing he gets as the former continuously drives his staff down upon his head until he's finally knocked unconscious by the repeated blows.

"Lira!" the first Ri screams, dropping to the earth beside me. He reaches out a hand to me before swiftly stopping himself. He… he's like me. He doesn't know if I'm real. His eyes begin to cloud with tears, and it's the compassion in them that the other lacked that lets me know that he's mine. This is my partner sitting in front of me. "Lira, are you…?"

"It's me… I'm not dead just yet," I chuckle, trying to make light of it all over the pain still clawing at my gut, "We're Team Crusade, right? We stick together, no matter what. Even no matter how times you make me mad…"

The familiar dialogue that only we know is enough to convince him. In an instant, he scoops me into his arms—ripping the Treasure Bag off of me all while he uses his aura to try to heal the wound to the best of his ability. I groan through clenched teeth: It feels like the muscle and flesh surrounding the wound is stitching itself together layer by layer. It hurts! Still, better than dying. Better than being stuck with that fake, monstrous copy…

The time he takes to heal me eventually allows the paralysis to fade away on its own. Applying a bandage around my waste after he's done all he can, he helps me onto my feet—hefting our bag over his own shoulder and slinking my arm across them both. "I'll take you to Chansey as soon as we get out of this mess," he promises, giving me a final look over before he begins to move. "I'm sorry this happened, I-I should've been here sooner… We should've known something like this could happen when we saw the first fakes, we—"

"Are both still alive," I stop him there. We had no idea that there would be fakes in the first place, much less fakes of _ourselves._ And the fact that we got separated isn't anyone's fault. "Let's just find the end of this maze and get home…"

"R-right…" It doesn't seem like he's all that convinced, but he relents. Leading me onward, he dips into another passage adjacent to the one I came from. Soon, it changes direction, heading farther within the labyrinth and away from the horrors of just moments ago. "There's a really wide trail this way. If nothing's changed, I think I can still find it. I think it might be a way out."

Even though he says he knows where he's going, it still takes a long while to find the passage he was talking about. It's not his fault, there are just so many twists and turns getting back to it and he often have to loop around and duck behind over passages to avoid even more of those copies. We take so long that I eventually work the pain out of my body enough to walk on my own again after a while. It still aches, but I'll live.

It's just as he says: After a certain point, it's all just a wide trail. Nowhere to hide if we had to. And no sign of Azurill… "We've gone pretty deep in here, Lira." he murmurs, taking a second, careful look at our surroundings, "It appears as if it's just one, long path from here… Let's keep going a little more."

Just a little further. Maybe something will be at the end of this. Maybe, just maybe…

But we've hardly taken a step forward between the two of us when the entire area begins to flash. The glow rocks at our feet that had been guiding us all this time swiftly dim before brightening back up and dimming again. Bright to dark, bright to dark, over and over, gaining in speed and intensity. Ri cries out in surprise, nearing my side protectively, "What's happening?!"

"Trouble…" That's the only thing I can give him in answer from under my breath. I don't need aura to tell me that: I just know it.

The cold voice that suddenly echoes around us is only proof of that, "You… How did…" Whoever they are, they apparently know that we're not one of the fakes. And they're clearly not happy to see us. "How did you get here?"

"Who is it?!" Ri demands right back. All things considered, it's probably for the best not to answer them back. Any clue we give them about ourselves will put us at a disadvantage. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

For the longest while, we're left in silence. I ball my hands into fists at my side. A coward, that's what they are. The fact that they're even here in the first place doesn't look good on them: If they had any shred of innocence in this, whoever they are, they should be able to show themselves. Maybe coming to realize this themselves, a faint mumble reaches our ears, "I am…"

But they stop short of fully answering aloud. Instead, in a spot about a meter away from us, something begins to take shape like a Ghost-type manifesting from the ground. It's a Pokemon, and a very pretty one at that. With a swan-like body and soft, pastel colors painting her form…

 _What…?!_ My fingers uncurl and my arms dangle limply at my side.

And I'm not the only one is shock. Ri moves back a step, his eyes wide. "You! You're…?!"

"I am Cresselia!" the legendary finishes for him in a booming voice. And of all things we've seen in this nightmare, she _has_ to be real. There's no reason she ever would've visited Azurill in his sleep, so he doesn't know her. I just can't believe that it's her again! It's Cresselia… The one from my dreams… But why…? "I cannot fathom how you've come here…" she continues in as calm a monotone as I've always know her to possess, "but I find your visit ever so convenient! I've longed to meet both of you!"

Both of us? Why? I'm the one she says is going to destroy the world. What does she want with Ri?

"C-Cresselia…!" Ri stammers, gripping the strap of our bag nervously. Not once does he part his stare away from her. He's gone pale. "So my dreams… They weren't just ordinary dreams after all…"

 _What?!_ I spin on my heel to face him, ignoring the burning cry of my wound from the sudden motion. What does Ri mean that he's been having dreams?! He shouldn't be… But still, I know the ragged expression a person makes when their nightmares start piecing themselves together in reality. Why would Cresselia come to him in his dreams? More importantly, Ri… _Why didn't you tell me?_

But he doesn't notice my pleading gaze. He eyes remained fastened on the other Pokemon in shock. "Then what I saw in my dreams…"

She nods at him with a single, graceful dip of her head, "Yes. What I told you in your dreams is true… You two are not supposed to exist in this world."

 _You… two?!_ No… No, no, no… I shake my head. Ri's not the problem: He's never been a problem! The fact that she's even saying this. I glare daggers at her heatedly, "Hey, you witch! You never mentioned _anything_ about Ri being involved in this! You said it was me! _Just me!_ He has nothing to do with this!"

My partner releases a heavy sigh, "I suspected this… That you and I were having the same dreams, Lira." I inwardly wince in turn, because I never talked to him about me having these dreams of Cresselia either… I kept trying to dismiss them, but I'm no different than him. "I went to the future…" he tries to explain, "Then I came back to this world… And it's causing the destruction of this world—or so Cresselia said in my dreams."

 _Ri is the same as I am… Ri is another presence that must not exist in this world._ I refuse to believe it. That's nothing but a load of bull! Ri isn't out of his timeline like I am and he didn't change in anyway like I did: The only thing different about him verses how he would've been is that he knows what the Dark Future was like. Cresselia can say whatever she wants about what a danger I am, but she has no right to blame Ri for the problems going on in the world. Leveling my gaze at her once more, a dangerous growl leaves me.

Contrary to my fiery demeanor, Ri's submissive. He looks down at the patch of earth at his feet, his ears pinning back as he grips one hand in the other. "Excuse me, Cresselia. Could you explain something for us?" I can't believe him: How can he not be angry with her?! "I travelled to the future and came back again. And Lira was a human who came from the future… You said that we're causing the distortion in the fabric of space in our world. If space itself becomes distorted, why will the world be destroyed?"

Well, there is that… I hold back my tongue. I'd like an answer to that too. With the both of us here, with her telling us that we're a threat to the world repeatedly, I'd say she owes us one.

"If the distortion in the fabric of space expands, the power of darkness will expand as well," she replies, And, eventually… the world will become enveloped within a nightmare."

"Enveloped within a nightmare…?"

"Yes."

Despite all that I've been through, I can't even imagine that. The Dark Future was a nightmare in itself, but it wasn't any one person that caused it. Temporal Tower was falling apart: No one could control that or ever knew what was happening until Grovyle and I came from the future. Dialga was losing his mind, so even he couldn't fix the problem. How can us existing cause a world-wide nightmare?

"Do you know where we are at this very moment?" Cresselia asks us both.

"Well…" Ri and I share an odd glance, "We're in Azurill's dream, aren't we?"

"That is correct. More precisely, we are in Azurill's _nightmare_. Azurill will remain trapped by the nightmare, never to awaken again. This nightmare will eventually creep across the world. For now, only Azurill is afflicted with this nightmare. But soon, other Pokemon will be drawn in by the nightmare's widening web. More and more Pokemon will fall into the unending sleep. And, ultimately, all Pokemon will be locked in this nightmare without end."

 _All Pokemon…_ Everyone will be trapped in a world like this one? No, I can only imagine it being worse. If this is just Azurill's nightmare, if the power of everyone's fear was combined I can see this place becoming a confusing array of wide-spread chaos…

Something's nagging at me in the back of my mind though. It all still doesn't make sense…

"H-hey, Cresselia," my partner beckons again, "What will it take…? To get rid of the distortion in the fabric of space? How can the space distortion be eliminated?"

One of my ears perk up. That's right! We saved the world once before! We're Guardians! Surely there's something we can—

"There is but one way to eliminate the distortion," she answers, her tone laced with a sudden icy chill, "And that is for you to disappear!"

"What?! Disappear?" The dismayed, but still hopeful expression on his face quickly changes to one of horror as I feel a blankness fall over my own expression. " _Us?_ "

"I have been waiting for this opportunity," she seethes, her eyes flickering with energy as she moves closer. Ri and I both take a large, instinctive step back for every few centimeters she gains on us. "The opportunity to cleanse this world of the both of you!"

"What…? Wait a second!" Ri extends the flat palms of his hands out toward her passively, " We don't want to disappear! We want to know more about what's happening!"

"So you would rather see all Pokemon swallowed up by the nightmare?" her enraged cry snaps back.

I hear the crumbling of stone over to my right and look, wide-eyed, at the sight of the trail parting itself apart. No, Cresselia has to be doing this! She's going to kill us! I call out to my partner in warning, pulling on his arm. I don't know if we can outrun her, but we can sure try!

But I can't pry him away. He's too scared and lost: His face is contorted in every measure of confusion and panic. "That's not… That isn't what I want…" he whispers, blinking his eyes rapidly before he pleads once again in a staggering voice, "C-Cresselia. Is this really true? If we disappear… Will the world really be saved?"

"Ri, don't listen!" I shout at him, something in his tone giving rise to my own terror, "We have to move!"

"Yes. It will be saved," she seethes, "For it is only your existence that is driving the world to ruin!"

He gulps, falling back enough for me to move him a few steps—but I can see it's too late. The way back is already deteriorating! The only way we might even have a chance of escape is if we can somehow get around her!

"I'm very sorry that I must do this… Prepare to disappear!" As a harsh, white light streaks across my vision, I see a large change of ground fall away into the abyss, "It must be done! The world must be saved!"

As another piece of earth breaks away, far too close for comfort this time, Ri snaps out of his daze and screams. I pull him with me away from the empty space, readying an Aura Sphere to launch at the legendary.

Then, as quickly as it all began, it stops. And another unknown voice—this one clearly male—echoes without our skulls, " _Hey!_ Hello, Lira? And, Ri? Where are you?"

Drowzee… Thank Arceus, it's Drowzee! I can't believe how glad I am to hear that voice.

Apparently, we're not the only ones to hear him either. Cresselia clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth bitterly. "Interrupted! And my work here was nearly finished!" I can hardly believe how quick she is to free after all of that, but she moves back. "I was interrupted this time…" she glowers at us, "But I will see to it that you two disappear! Of course, if you wish to save the world on your own, you should consider taking your own lives first. Farewell."

I don't allow my Aura Sphere to dissipate until she's actually gone, fading into nothing the very same way she appeared. _To think I actually thought she would help us when I first read about her…_ I muse bitterly. That's the last time I'll believe everything I read about a legendary so readily. That Pokemon's a monster…

Exhaling a deep, shaky breath and squeezing his eyes shut, my partner collapses onto his knees. "Th-that was close…" He's shaking all over like a leaf…

 _Ri…_ I cast my gaze down at him with my own turmoil of emotions rolling in my chest like the churning weather of a storm at sea. _Why didn't you talk to me…?_ He made such a big deal out of telling each other what was going on, and now this… Why? 

"Hey! So here you are!" Drowzee's voice sounds even closer this time. So close, in fact, that it sounds like he's hear with us… Looking back over my shoulder, I gape when I see him materializing behind us.

Ri follows my gaze and his eyes widen as well, "D-Drowzee! Why are you here?"

The Psychic-type frowns at that, "You were taking so long to come back. I got worried. I decided to be brave and come looking for you." Taking a good, long look at both of our rough appearances, he adds, "Guess I was right too…" Before he can say anymore though, he stops and quickly jerks his head around at the scene. Other than the destruction that Cresselia left behind, there's nothing. Still, he looks terrified. With a hastened tone, he judges the remaining distance to us, "There's something dangerous about this place. We shouldn't stay here. Let's go back to the Guild for the time being."

Ri and I can only nod in answer, and already by then a violet wave and a throbbing headache washed over us.


	43. Chapter 43: Holding On

The apprentices, Chatot, and the Guildmaster had summoned themselves to our room. Everyone was there by the time Drowzee had pulled us out of the nightmare and back to the real world—the sunlight pouring in from the open window jarring to our senses after the perpetual, unrelenting darkness that had threated to devour us.

We explained the situation as best we could, or at least what Cresselia told us, but we opted to leave out the part about us possibly being the cause for the distortion of space. At the time, I could feel my stomach twisting with guilt, but how could we even begin to tell them that saving the world may very well call for our deaths? Especially since people, based on Chatot's explanation, apparently revere Cresselia as a spiritual healer and a defender of darkness.

I'd endured the same struggle multiple times over from when I was told I would disappear and had to keep it from Ri, and then when I had to hide my identity from him in the corrected future—all the times I've had to put on a brave face and pretend that everything was fine to spare other people. This time though, with a legendary calling for our deaths as a sacrifice, even my mask has begun to crack. Now that I know the truth behind Ri's recent behavior, I can tell how much the whole thing is eating him alive. Drowzee caught on quick to our discomfort, but…

Later that night, Ri paces the floor of our base in Sharpedo Bluff anxiously. From reporting what happened to the rest of the Guild, to getting us both looked at by Chansey, to finally coming here we've both had to subdue our turmoil of emotions: Now they're boiling over. "When we were back at the Guild… Drowzee asked us if we knew how the distortion of space could be stopped… _I lied!_ I didn't even think twice about it!" He exclaims, digging his fingers into his scalp, his fur frayed in overwhelming distress, "As we know, there is a way to stop the distortion! The only solution is for us to disappear from this world. I just couldn't bring myself to say it." He tries to force himself to take a deep breath, but he can't keep himself still at all. Eventually, he just lowers his gaze to the floor, fear and confusion from the situation and disappointment in himself clear in the reflection of his eyes as he lowers his voice to a quiet murmur, "But… Is this something I really must tell everyone about?"

There's nothing to say to that. There's nothing I _can_ say… I've lied or kept quiet time after time, but Ri though? I can't really see him having to tell a lie a day in his life. And lying over something this big, even with how terrified with are… I can't blame him either—I can barely even wrap my head around all of this!

Finally, his pacing stops with him facing the expanse of ocean illuminated by the thin sliver of moonlight above. It's a clear night and the stars seem to double on the water's crystal surface. Somewhere near the beach caves, there are glimmering trails of color dancing with the waves as the Lumineon come up enjoy the pleasant weather. It's a beautiful, calm night, the world completely oblivious and unworrying of the chaos we've been dealing with over the past few days and over the turmoil that plagues us now. There are no answers out on those waters: The world will forever go on without a care.

"Hey, Lira…" My eyes rise to meet him, but he keeps his back to me, "What should we do now? If we were to disappear…Would the world be saved? In that case… Maybe that's the best thing to do…"

"Ri!" I shake my head from where I sit on the hay. He—he can't really meant that! That's not the person I know at all! More than that though, his words send a trickle of fear down my spine.

He cringes at my chiding tone before releasing a groan of frustration, bracing his head in one hand, "I can't take this! All this worrying's made me tired…" I keep my stare trained hard on him even as his comes over to lay beside me. "Let's get some sleep, Lira."

I lower myself onto my side, my head resting on my arm, but I don't close my eyes. I continue to look at my partner imploringly to talk to me. There are so many emotions flaring from his aura that I can latch onto any one of them. I want him to lean on me, and let me listen to him. When he notices this though, he just gives me a small frown and rolls over with his back to me.

When did my open and honest partner suddenly become so distant from me? When did it become so hard to hear him? I'm closer to him than anyone: I should've picked on that something was wrong from the start! Or I did, but I didn't look into them like I should've! Grovyle or Dusknoir would've been able to: Even without aura, they would've known something was wrong right at the beginning because I actually _see_ people. I've no doubt that, as bright and cheerful as Wigglytuff acted earlier, that he noticed too. _Drowzee_ even noticed! He thought we were just jumpy, but he still noticed!

Maybe I wanted to believe that everything was going to be ok from now on too much. I really wanted that, for Ri and I to just start our adventures where we left them before the issues with the Time Gears and Temporal Tower. To be the exploration team that we said we'd be. But we're not. It's only been about a year, but we've grown and changed, and our experiences from all that happened are a part of that. The _world_ is changing, and we're caught in the middle of its swift-moving currents.

Primal Dialga warned me: The things we've already suffered were far from over. As Guardians of Light, we would likely carry the weight of an unending line of pain throughout our lives. I accepted it with what happened in the future, but I thought we were safe. I got paranoid, but I wanted to dismiss the feeling because I couldn't see how things could get any worse than the way they were before. And when he said that, I didn't think he would mean _this_ , or that our lives would just be—

 _Ugh. Can't sleep…_ Ri is already asleep, I guess: His breathing has gone steady. But I have to wonder… I understand that we're causing the distortion of space, but how that leads to the world's ruin… I still can't believe it… I thought it was merely something from a dream that first time, but it wasn't until in the second dream—when I was told about the distortion of space—when I started thinking that maybe it was true.

I curl my legs closer to my chest and move my tail over my feet. Come to think of it, the morning after I had the dream Ri caught me deep in-thought over what Cresselia had said. _He_ noticed and quickly pieced together what had happened. And he acted unusually upbeat then, even though Ri had just woke from the same dream about Cresselia that I had! At that moment, Ri must've been acting extra cheerful around me, because hi suspected that I had just has the same dream and tried to cheer me up. Ri had to have been frightened, but he was much more concerned about me…

How long was he getting them? I only had the two dreams, but that doesn't mean that that was all he had. He was acting strange before then, all the way back when Team Charm came to the Guild. Could Cresselia have been visiting him in his sleep since then? The idea makes me disgusted with myself and—considering there's no telling what all she could've said to him—my blood boil.

Then in Azurill's nightmare… What Cresselia said then, and what she tried to do… I felt crushed by that, but… that's why I have to keep my spirits strong! No matter what, I have to keep moving forward. Ri and I will find a way to stop the distortion of space without her help. I just have to stay strong! I yawn. _My spirits… strong…_

But for the time being, I'll allow sleep to take over me. Things will be better in the morning and Ri and I can sort out what to do next then. So, closing my eyes, I allow my exhaustion to take over…

* * *

I don't know why I wake up when I do, but it's still dark out. The sky is a lighter tint than when I first went to sleep, so I know it's nearing dawn though. The scene of the ocean is as beautiful as it was when I closed my eyes, but I can't help but feeling as restless as though a storm were coming in.

That's when I look beside me and find that Ri isn't here. And I get nervous. There's absolutely no reason for him to be up this early. In an instant, I'm on my feet and looking around our base, but he's not anywhere to be found. _Maybe outside…?_ I just hope he didn't go off too far. Why he would even dart off like this is crazy.

I race up the stairwell at a bullet's pace, the early morning breeze tugging at my hair the instant I step out beneath the open sky. There's no sign of him down the trail back to the main part of town and the way is dark.

Just when I spin around on my heel to look over the bluff to see if he's wandered down to the beach, however, I see him. He's standing right at the edge, looking out over the expanse of the horizon with a lost, searching gaze. Again though, there's something about the way he looks that scares me.

The shuffle of grass at my feet as I walk up to him lets him know I'm there. He peers at me from over his shoulder, giving me a tiny, tired smile that's clearly false. "So, Lira…" he greets, "You're awake too, huh? I couldn't sleep at all…" Blinking his eyes rapidly, he goes back to staring out to sea.

With a hesitant step I inch closer to him still, a lump forming in my throat. My heart feels like it's going to rip free from my chest at any second. "No, I couldn't really sleep, I'm—I think I'll stay out here for a bit too…" I don't want to leave him alone out here. I feel like, if I do, he'll just end up doing something he'll regret.

He grins at that—but again, it doesn't seem like an honest one—and sits with his legs dangling off the edge, patting the ground beside him once in invitation. I take it, but the nervous feeling in my core refuses to leave. Cresselia's words echo in my mind: _"I was interrupted this time, but I will see to it that you two disappear! Of course, if you wish to save the world on your own, you should consider taking your own lives first."_ I shiver and the beating of my heart only worsens.

Before I can say anything, after a short while, Ri speaks up first, "Hey, Lira? Can't we be allowed to stay? Can't we stay in this world?" He sounds so broken when he asks me this, almost like a child. Hearing it, it's like I'm being stabbed with a knife through my heart.

I reach over to him, intertwining my fingers with his own, and I give him a reassuring squeeze. I can't say a word, but I can't give up on him. On our team. On this world. I care too much to lose it all, so much that it hurts all over. And Ri… He makes up so much of my world that losing him would destroy me. He's so bright, and kind, and supportive, even though I'm just this mess of a person who can't answer him like I should.

I'm shaking and vision begins to cloud over…

For the first time since we made it back home, he looks me in the eyes—binding my stare to his. He squeezes my hand back and continues, "When we fought Dialga at Temporal Tower… You fought even though you knew you would disappear, Lira. Because even if you were to disappear, you thought that you would save the world…That's why you did it, right?" Just as quickly, he breaks eye contact to instead look down at our adjoined hands. "If that's the case… Maybe we should do that this time too.

"There were other Guardians of Light before us, right? So, the way I see it, we're no different than the ones who came first or the ones who'll come after us. We're just filling in a role, and our role is to protect this world…" With his free hand, he clasps his necklace tightly, "Someday, my Relic Fragment is going to choose someone else to look after it, just like it chose me after so many others. If the best thing we can do is sacrifice ourselves for the world, then it's not like there won't be someone else to look after it."

 _Ri…_ The more he tries to rationalize things, the more distressed I get. Worse still is that there isn't much of a retort: It's true that I fought Dialga knowing that I would disappear if we succeeded. It's not as if I wanted to, but that had to be done to prevent the Planet's Paralysis. Back then, I was willing to disappear if it meant saving the world. I feel the same this time too, but is this situation _really_ the same? Something… something feels different this time around.

"Cresselia said it was just us that needed to disappear," I finally bring myself to counter, fighting to keep my voice even, "What about Grovyle and Dusknoir? Wouldn't they need to disappear too? And even if they're situation isn't the same as ours, Ri, how are we supposed to leave them? What about them, and Celebi, and Azalea? What about the Guild and the rest of town?"

He winces at that. At the same time, it occurs to me that there's nothing stopping Cresselia from visiting their dreams and trying to tell them the same things either—that they're also threats to the world. After all, she didn't tell either of us that the other was involved in this until _after_ she talked to us both together and had no choice. I feel my anger boiling over at the thought of her invading their dreams too. I don't think they'd believe in her easily, but I still have my own fears.

Confliction continues to burn in my partner's gaze, his tone desperate, "Well, Lira, what do _you_ think? Should we really disappear from this world?"

I don't fully understand why he's asking me for answers: I don't have any idea what the right thing to do is either. I'm scared too. No matter what he says about what I went through before, I just can't say that we'd be doing the right thing by taking our own lives. "I don't know…"

"You don't _know…?_ " he frowns, disbelieving," You _must_ be thinking that maybe we ought to disappear, Lira… Well, then…"

"But something's strange!" I insist. I only have my own, guy feeling to rely on, but I won't accept this lying down!

He gives me an incredulous look, "Strange? What's strange?"

"Everything Cresselia said!" I explain, and I don't know why I'm shouting at him at this point, but I am. I'm just upset, and terrified, and _angry_ —even if I'm not at him. This whole situation is just so wrong! "How do you know we can even believe her? If anything, Dialga should've been the _first_ to do something, Ri! But I talked to him in the future and he's the one that let me come back here!"

"What exactly was odd about what Cresselia said? We separately found out that we are causing the space distortion while at Luminous Spring too!" he shouts right back, "And if Azurill can't wake up from his nightmare because of the distortion… Well, I think we have to believe what we were told."

My mouth twists into the scowl. I hate having the fact about Azurill thrown at me, but that _is_ true… But something… Something is different about disappearing this time around! I _know_ something is different! But what though _? I need to think carefully…_ I've got to explain it to Ri. "It's just isn't the same…"

"What? What's different this time?! The world's in danger again and if giving up our lives means saving it, then why shouldn't we—!"

"Do you think I thought I had a _choice_ , Ri?!" The words tear from my throat in a viscous scream, carrying with them all of my despair. "Do you think that I _wanted_ to die?! To leave you?!" He recoils back, watching me intensely, as a second of silence passes over us. "I didn't want to leave…" That's when I realize what's been nagging at me over this. This _is_ different from before! Back then, with Dialga, my disappearance wasn't really a choice! "Ri, that's what's not the same!

"At Temporal Tower, I was willing to disappear, but I only did what I had to do. I changed the future because it was the only choice we had to keep the world at peace, but I _never_ would've chosen to just disappear. There's no telling what will happen this time, so we really don't know if us disappearing will actually bring peace to the world again!"

"What you're saying is nothing about this is certain…" His ears flick as he muses over my words, "That's true… It's true that things aren't completely certain. But it is a fact that you were a human who came from the future, Lira. And I did go to the future and then come back to this world. And it _does_ seem that, because of us, space has started to distort. There's no escaping the fact that we changed history… That _must_ mean what we were told is true…"

"You can't actually believe that! You can't believe that you should just disappear!" And I know I'm going into dangerously territory with what I say next, but—my vision clouding with tears—it rips from my throat nonetheless, "Do you think any of us from the future should disappear?! Do you think _I_ should disappear?"

And I know he can't say it. He can't say it any more than I could say that he should jump from this bluff. He's only ever mentioned 'us' disappearing because mentioning either of us alone is too horrible a thing to say—even if, in the end, the meaning is all the same. Because saying so would be as good as saying that he thinks I'm better off dead.

I'm right: He _can't_ say it. Realization dawning at the full implications of his own words, I can tell from his expression that his mind goes back to another time. Back to the Hidden Land, and to Grovyle, and to me. Back to when we were walking away from Temporal Tower and I collapsed. Back then, when I vanished right before his eyes and there was nothing he could do for me.

Then I see something that I've only seen at the hardest of times from him. Bending forward and looking down at the earth, his lips curling in despair, he begins to cry. The stormy waves of his emotions swarm over me as his control over the shatters and everything I've already felt from this nightmare that we're going through I feel from him tenfold. I feel all of his anguish, his confliction, his fear… I feel the weight of his worries overwhelm the weight of my own.

 _Ri…_ Wracked with sobs, he doesn't even react as I pull myself closer to him and envelop my arms around him—pressing his head to my chest as he's done for me countless times to help calm me down. This isn't the Ri from my once lost memories. This isn't the Ri from the future I left behind. He's my sweet, innocent, wonderful partner who wouldn't dare hurt another soul. He's honest and kind. He's a protector.

I guess that's the reason he's the Shield out of those of us who're supposed to make up the five Guardians of Light. He'll keep taking and taking hit after hit for the sake of others without any regard for himself. He can endure a lot, but this Ri—my Ri—hasn't gone through all same the things that he would've in the future. He has so much love and compassion but so little experience compared to the rest of us that he's left himself open. He's hurting. Bad. And he can't take much more before he breaks completely.

"I'm scared, Lira, ok?" he whispers into my shoulder, " _I'm sorry_ , I'm just—I'm not strong like you…"

"I've never _been_ strong, Ri," I murmur back, "If I am, it's only because I've always had you or Grovyle looking out for me."

"You are. You're always there to encourage and support me. And you always keep moving forward, no matter what—even back then, that time at Temporal Tower… And in the Dark Future, you kept so many people going. I'm not like that. I'm not…" He shakes his head, drawing in a long, quivering breath, "I'm not brave. I'm not confident. I don't even know what to do…"

After a moment, he raises up to look over my shoulder—flecks like embers reflecting in his irises. Following his gaze, I spot the swell of pinks and oranges tint the darkened blues that fade above us. It's sunlight: The sun's coming up. _It's beautiful…_ It's another beautiful dawn, as peaceful as the night before… I don't think we've seen one since Manaphy was with us.

The blaze of the early morning sun casting a warm glow over us both, Ri sets himself back up. His brows furrow, "Oh, Lira, seeing the sun come up this way makes me remember… I've seen the sunrise from here before! This isn't the first time: The first time, I was with Grovyle."

"With Grovyle?" I echo, but then my mind goes back to the first night we spent in Sharpedo Bluff. Ri, Grovyle, and I had just come back from the future and we needed somewhere to stay without letting anyone know that we had returned. I woke in the middle of the night to find the two gone, I snuck up the stairs, and I ended up listening in on their conversation. It's not a fact I plan on letting him on though.

He nods, "Yes. Remember when we first came back from the future? We slept here? That's when I saw the sunrise from here for the first time. I just remembered something about that first time… It's something Grovyle asked me…"

" _It's about that time in the future, when we were confronted by Dialga. Frankly, we were in a no-win situation. There was no hope. Yet like Lira, when all seemed lost, you refused to give up. Even I had given up. What compelled you? How did you manage to stay so strong?"_

We both continue to watch the rising sun stretch over the horizon. "I didn't give up when we were trying to escape from the future. I guess that's what struck Grovyle as being strange. That's why Grovyle asked me why I refused to give up… But I didn't know how to answer. I didn't know why I was brave then. But I thought about it, and I began to realize something…"

I can feel my cheeks burn at the memory. _"Well, I wonder too. I really don't know… But maybe… Maybe it was because of Lira, because she stood by me."_

" _She can have an… effect, on people like that."_

"That was it…" I feel his thumb gently graze over the top of my hand in a soft caress, "I managed to be brave because you were always with me, Lira. That was when I finally realized that. And that's what I told Grovyle. Then, just before we lost Grovyle in the Hidden Land, Grovyle entrusted me with his last wish… He made me promise that I'd look after you…"

With that, he then gives my hand a light squeeze. At the same time, I feel as though something is clenching my heart and the warmth in my face intensifies. I squeeze his hand back.

"I'm… ashamed of myself…" Pulling his gaze up to look at me once more, he gives me a determined, brave smile. By now, the tears are gone—leaving behind only a wet glimmer in his eyes that are almost mystifying to me. "If you're not giving up, Lira… I won't give up either! There must be something that we can still do about this! There has to be a way of fixing things—a way that doesn't involve having to disappear!"

I beam at him, "That's right!" That's the Ri I know! Someone that never gives up and always looks for the bright side. The partner I can rely on. The person I care so much about.

"We have to keep going, Lira!" As if to bring action to his words, he rises to his feet and helps pull me up after him, "Let's find a way out of this!"

With a firm nod, his hand remaining clasped in mine, I stand. No sooner am I up, I lean into his arms and brace myself against him—feeling him react as his hold shifts around me.


	44. Chapter 44: The Hunted

Neither of us felt like going back to sleep for the brief hour or so we normally would've given ourselves left to rest, so we decided on changing around our morning routine a bit. Ducking back inside Sharpedo Bluff, Ri and I chose to make breakfast together. Normally, I'd be out of my element with cooking, but we kept to a simple meal: Toast slathered with Magost berry jam and a salad made from a few vegetables we had on hand and some walnuts. More than anything though, it was fun. It gave us a second to relax without worrying over anything else beyond the food on our plates.

We also finally got a letter back from Grovyle and the others today: They're on their way back now. Cresselia hasn't had the chance to attack them like she did us, so that comes as a blessing at least. Maybe all five of us together will have a better shot of figuring something out before Cresselia has the chance to come after any of us.

I'm just thankful to hear that they're all fine. Based on their letter, it doesn't seem as though they've run into any others being affected by the distortion in space in the same way Azurill is either. It means we have time before the nightmare spreads any further. Thinking over that, I can't help but also be thankful that I gave Grovyle the Lunar Wing when I did: With all that's happening and Cresselia being a Pokemon with similar abilities to Pitch Black, I'm glad that they have some kind of protective charm.

"Oh, Lira, I was just thinking…" my partner calls my attention from where he sits to my left, finishing the last bite of his toast, "It was time being destroyed before, right? And now the very fabric of space is becoming distorted. The destruction of time and the distortion of space… I can't begin to conceive such things. But these troubles of time and space… I have a feeling that they're related."

Time and space… A possible connection…? "It doesn't seem like too big of a stretch," I shrug, "They're balancing forces after all." Complete opposites that keep one another in check, with legendaries that lord over them and exist as rivals to one another. I think the legendary that guards space is called… Palkia? I'm sure that's what the books said….

"Do you remember when time was breaking down?" he asks, "Lapras gave us a lot of insight into Temporal Tower. So about this distortion of space… Do you think Lapras might know something about it?"

 _Lapras…?_ Well, actually, it wouldn't be unusual if Lapras did know something about this. In the past, when we've asked her about the Guardians of Light, she hasn't been able to tell us much more beyond her duties and what we've already found out on our own. However, this is something different: This is more like when Temporal Tower was collapsing. "It wouldn't hurt to ask her. If all else fails, we can try reading through our books one more time."

He grins, "I thought you'd think so too." Standing up, he takes the empty dishes and sets them aside of the running spring in our room to clean later. "Well, then that settles it! Let's go see Lapras! Lapras should be at the beach, so let's hurry there, Lira!"

I wonder if the rest of the Guild is already up and at work trying to figure out what's happening too. I imagine so: When it came to the Time Gears and finding the Hidden Land, hardly anyone was willing to rest for an instant. Something else bothers me though, and that's the possibility of Cresselia going into their dreams and telling them that we're what's causing the distortion in space. It didn't seem like it yesterday, but I wouldn't put it past her to do it. I can't see them attacking us, but I can see them questioning us and possibly stepping into danger themselves. And what if Cresselia contacts other exploration teams, or even the heads of the Federation? Whether from feelings of necessity or desperation, I could imagine some powerful people being sent to hunt us down then. With that in mind, it's probably best if we find something to help our position as soon as we can.

There's no describing the mixed feelings of urgency and relief that come with finding Lapras near the coastline. Usually, she stays close for Ri's sake in case we need to call on her, but since we don't travel away from the mainland often, she does come and go every now and then. With all that's happened, this would be the worst time for her to vanish: We've been lucky enough as it as that she's been around as much as she has lately.

She sees us coming before we can reach her, closing the distance from us by drawing as close to the shore as possible. I guess she can tell by our appearance how bad things have gotten. As we skid to a halt in front of her, she dips her head low in greeting, "It's nice to see you two up and running so early. Even though, from the looks of things, I doubt the circumstances are all that pleasant…"

Ri steps forward, looking around first to make certain that we're the only ones around for now. I imagine most of the town already knows what's happening, but if anyone has to try to keep things quiet for now, it's us. "Excuse me, Lapras. There's something we'd like to ask you. We're investigating the distortion in the fabric of space."

She gives us a nod in understanding. Of course she's also heard about what's going on. "The distortion of space itself…"

"Yes. And we'd like to learn anything that you might know about it. C-can you help us?" There's no hiding the apprehension in his tone, "Do you know anything?"

She furrows her brows, deep in thought, before answering, "I'm sorry to say it, but I don't know anything about the space distortions. However, I do know of a being that embodies space itself."

I tighten my mouth into a firm line. Just as I figured earlier, it's coming to this. "You mean Palkia. He's supposed to rule space as an opposite force to Dialga's power over time."

"Yes," she replies calmly, "Time and space are deeply connected. So, just as Dialga governs time itself, so too does Palkia govern the fabric of space. As such, he is said to possess the ability to distort space itself. The Spacial Rift is said to be his domain."

Another world separate from our own then, just like the Hidden Land. It's hard to forget a place like that: An island hanging in the middle of a haze of golden clouds that seemed to stretch on endlessly, with ancient ruins and a jungle that seemed forever caught in the bright, sweltering days of summer. What could Palkia's realm possibly look like though? I can't even imagine it.

"If we meet Palkia…" Ri muses aloud, folding his arms over his chest, "then we might be able to learn more about the distortions! So, uh… How do we get to the Spacial Rift? Can you travel there, Lapras? Just like you can go to the Hidden Land?"

"I'd hate to disappoint, but I can't travel to the Spacial Rift," she frowns, "I don't even know where it is."

That actually comes as a surprise. Ri's Relic Fragment is supposed to be accepted by the legendaries as a sign of permission to travel through the realms. And we were told—by Lapras herself—that it was her job to take us to them. I can't help but ask, "Why not?"

"It's a matter that fell into place long before my time," she sighs, "Not all legendaries are welcoming toward the Guardians of Light. There are a number of them that don't fully accept your status as protectors to this world, or that even view you and the others as needless figures of a bygone age. In recent times, even Palkia's faith has shifted. That is all I can tell you."

I grimace. Apparently, we can thank a few past generations of Guardians for the way things are now. It's not easy to upset a legendary, so for them to hold that kind of stance against us, someone must have done something horribly wrong.

"Oh, alright…" My partner eyes his Relic Fragment dejectedly. It's pretty hard news to hear, especially with what's happening now. We go try going to the Hidden Land to talk to Dialga, but I imagine we'd only be hitting a dead end there too: He's still got to be recovering from when Temporal Tower nearly collapsed and, considering his rivalry with Palkia, I don't think he'd be much help anyway.

"I'm sorry, Ri." Lapras waited so long for us to find her so she could fulfill her duties. She takes her job seriously. I can understand why she's upset with herself, "I'm sorry that I'm not much help."

Ri gives her an ardent shake of his head and insists, "No, no… Not at all!" He then shoots me a glance and continues, "Learning about the existence of Palkia is a big step for us. Thank you, Lapras. We'll investigate on our own for now."

With that, she dismisses herself as we begin to walk back the way we came. _Well, that led to nowhere…_ I purse my lips. Lapras and the Relic Fragment would've been our best shot to finding Palkia. Without them, it's hard to think of any other way to reach him. I kind of doubt it'll really work in the way we want it to, but maybe we could try going to a shrine? I mean, we have to find one for him first, but…

"So, basically… Lapras didn't know much about the distortion of space," Ri exhales deeply, "But she did tell us that Palkia controls space itself. And that he lives in the Spacial Rift." His eyes grow distant with thought, "Palkia, huh… If we could just meet with him, we'd be able to ask about the distortion of space. But we don't have a clue where the Spacial Rift is…"

"The books certainly won't cover anything like that," I murmur, pulling my arms back in a long stretch, "We could barely find anything on the Hidden Land alone. This is Dusknoir's area of expertise…"

"Maybe there isn't any point in worrying about it right now then." He motions that we should head to the Guild compound, "We'll probably have to wait until he and the others get back to town, but let's continue to investigate this tomorrow." Then, with a reassuring smile, he adds, "There's no giving up now, Lira!"

I smile back, because it's one of his honest expressions. He's not just trying to spare my feelings this time: He really means it. It's so good to see this side of him again. After all of this, I don't think we'll have to worry about hiding things from each other at least.

With that, we get to work.

* * *

There weren't really many jobs we could take today since we can't travel very far from town while we wait for the rest of our team. After explaining what little information we got from Lapras to the Guildmaster and Chatot, we just busied ourselves with helping our delivery missions close by. We visited Azurill and Marill again too, but Drowzee said that nothing's changed. We should probably visit their mom too, but I don't even know what we'd say to her…

Of all Pokemon, why did one of those two sweet boys have to be affected by the distortion of space? Why did it have to start here, in Treasure Town? From what we know, Azurill's the only one trapped in a nightmare, but it's not like we haven't noticed that other people are having trouble with their own dad dreams. The signs are small, but they're still there.

If all of this really is our fault… No, I don't believe that, but still… Maybe it would be best if we struck out on our own someday. I mean _really_ went out on our own, like most of the teams that come and go from town do. We'd still be at work for the Guild, it's just that we'd be travelling around rather than staying in one place for missions. We could see other places and find new treasures, like we wanted from the start—maybe even travel to other continents. We could have one, constant adventure that never really ends. And maybe people wouldn't be as likely to be affected by what we do as Guardians of Light.

I'm really the last person who should be thinking that, considering all I said before and that I acted so fussy over graduating… Maybe a day will come though when we really _don't_ get a choice.

* * *

That night, we're both so restless that I doubt either Ri or myself get any real sleep. It takes a while before darkness overcomes my vision and my mind goes blank, but it doesn't seem at all long after that when I'm waking up again.

I'm first startled awake by the sound of a rock crashing to the earth, my eyes flying open only a split second before Ri's. I guess my body is programmed to react fast, because in an instant, I'm up on my hands and knees in the hay, looking for the source of some kind of trouble.

It doesn't seem like there's any at first, but my senses keep me on my guard. My ears flicker back and forth frantically for what my eyes can't register. Soon enough, I notice it. We both do. A growing tremor that shakes the entirety of Sharpedo Bluff. An earthquake?! We never get them here, so I imagine this has to be another effect of the distortion in space!

"Tremors?!" Ri shouts as they only worsen. Dust rains from the ceiling above us and barrels and crates fall over. He grabs me by the hand and begins to pull me toward the stairs, "Quick! Let's get out of here! If the exit caves in, then—"

But he doesn't get the chance to finish as a light suddenly flashes in a blinding display from the heart of the chamber. I'm still half-asleep and can barely make sense of the chaos happening right in front of us. I'm stunned at first by the white, painful glow and hiss at the burning feeling in my eyes, stepping back until my spine hits the wall behind me. I can still sense my partner by my side as he also recoils.

My instincts are screaming at me now to get out while we can, and I feel my tail bend in an odd, frazzled way. What exactly is this—what's going on?! If this is caused by the recent distortions, then this is beyond anything like what we've seen in the reports that have come in!

Black spots dance in a haze across my vision and the tremors suddenly stop and the bright light swiftly fades. But I'm completely unprepared for the towering sight that appears in front of us after. There, in the middle of the chamber, stands what can only be a legendary Pokemon. A bipedal giant with a build that reminds me of a Tyantrum or a Rampardos. His arms are longer though, and it seems as though he could be wearing a pair of gauntlets and shoulder pads. Set within the pads are large, dark pink pearls. His rugged body is pale, with strong purple lines detailing his form. Talons on his hands and feet; a short, but sharp pair of tusks connected to his lower jaw; a slender neck; and a pair of what look to be fins or wings also distinguish him.

Right now though, his most striking feature are his bright red irises that seem to glow with an intensity that now even fire could compare too—leveled at his with a furious gaze. "I have found you at last!" he rumbles in a low, gruff bass. "The defilers who are causing the distortion of space!"

I flick my case once toward the stairs, but I know there's no chance of us making a break for them: He's blocking the way. We could try running for the side of the bluff and making a jump for the waters below, but even if we could beat him to it, there's only a slim chance that we would survive the drop. Ri moves a step in front of me protectively, "Who are you…?" he demands, but despite how he tries to fight it, the fear is obvious in his voice.

"I am Palkia!" the legendary booms, shuffling closer. "I hold sway over space! I have dominion over dimension!"

"Y-you're Palkia?!"

My mind draws blank. This is the legendary we were hoping to meet, but if we had plans on reasoning with him to try to figure out a way to fix things, they're gone now! He doesn't look like he'd be willing to reason with anyone at all! He actually reminds me of—!

I feel my throat run dry. Those eyes are the same ones I've seen before, both in this time and in the Dark Future. Dialga had that very same look whenever he lost himself during Temporal Tower's collapse. With space being distorted, Palkia must be losing his mind just like Dialga was!

"You cannot escape now!" He summons another white light surrounded by a golden tint in his hands. Beyond its glow, the wall and stacks of packed away goods seem to distort in a wavering manner. "This is the end of you!"

As quickly as I can, I launch an Aura Sphere at him, but it doesn't deter him in the slightest. Instead, the light only blossoms with even greater intensity. Even as futile as it is, we try to run, but we barely move a few steps away when it suddenly explodes and consumes us all. Ri and I both cry out in surprise, but not in pain. Instead of killing us, the blast seems to vaporize the world around us. In an instant, I feel my feet leave the floor and my body flung somewhere else at a bullet's speed.


	45. Chapter 45: The Rift

A part of me feels like I'm still asleep, dreaming up this insanity. Every part of me wishes that I actually am dreaming.

My knees buckle out from under me as soon as we're on solid ground and I collapse. Something about this earth is different from any other type I've felt before. No matter where my hands and feet touch the flat, rocky surface, I find it eaten away at by small craters the size of marbles or berries. It's as if there were an endless series of air pockets trapped within the earth before it completely formed. The edges of these holes prick at my skin as I try to push myself up on wobbly legs—my arms extended.

I feel sick, like my organs were scrambled around inside me during the swift teleportation here. More than that, it takes a moment for my eyes to recover—longer than when Palkia first appeared in Sharpedo Bluff. I hear Ri call out for me, and feel a familiar touch searching for me from a few exploratory pats of my forearm before we grasp for each other.

All the while, my mind tries to frantically process what just happened and where exactly we are. Are we dead? Did we die?! Everything happened so fast that I'd very well believe that we were killed in an instant and now this is purgatory. This could very well be the Spirit World.

By the time my eyes readjust though, I realize that we could be in a far worse situation than death could ever hope to compare. Still looming over us just a short distance away is Palkia, an menacing sneer pulling at the line of his mouth. Beyond him lies nothing but a vast terrain of a craggily mountain landscape of grey rocks tinged with a dark, unnatural green that seeps from the ground—every surface marred by craters just as the earth under us is. And beyond them, only an ocean of darkness exists, just like in Azurill's nightmare…

"Wh-where is this…?" The horror in my partner's voice matches my own feelings of dread as I spare a quick glance at the space to our backs, where we stand near the corner of a cliff-face at the edge of the abyss. Just like before Palkia blocks our only way forward. We're trapped!

"This is my domain! The Spacial Rift!" the legendary explains in a curt, short-tempered tone, waving his hand at the dismal scene. "You dare distort space without my permission?! I will be rid of you now!"

"What?!" Ri's shaking all over as we take a few steps back from Palkia for the giant step he gains on us. I can't believe this either! Palkia doesn't seem as far gone as Dialga was, but he also appears to have a shorter fuse. He's not going to listen to us! Even if he was, if this place is tied to him in the same way Temporal Tower is to Dialga, then by the looks of things he's too far gone anyway!

"This is the end!" He swings his claws at the both of us after taking a massive lunge forward. I'm all reaction as I shove myself into Ri to send us both toppling out of the way in time, hitting the ground rolling. A cry of shock tears from my partner's throat just as rock explodes into a maelstrom of dust in our place. I squint up to see Palkia kneeling down with his fist driven into the earth—creating one, massive crater that devours the others.

"What are you doing?!" Ri shouts, but of course it's useless! He sees that fast and jerks his head behind us only to discover what I did moments ago, "Th-there's absolutely nothing behind us!"

This time, Palkia's arm begins to glow with a sickly, pinkish-violet energy as he rears up for another attack. A fearsome roar bellows from him as we scramble back onto our feet to dodge, but again, there's _nowhere_ for us to go! What exactly are we supposed to do?!

That's when my mind sinks to the most crazy and desperate of plans on that long, every-growing list of mine. We can't get around Palkia to fight him on even ground and there's something about his power that's beyond him anyway: It's like seeing the birth of his Primal self. If we try to fight him now, we will die. But if we can use our aura like we've tried practicing, if this one, stupid, insane plan can work… I shiver at the thought, dark memories resurfacing in my mind, but we have to do this! I wait until the last, possible moment. As Palkia swings his arm at us like a wide cutlass, I grab Ri tightly by the wrist, pulling him back.

I don't know how many times I've fallen, or nearly have, thinking that I was going to die. There was the time Ri and I were sent flying out of the Waterfall Cave, the time I lost my footing when we climbed Mt. Bristle in order to save Azurill, when Dialga held me over the edge of Temporal Tower, when I fell off that ship and into those freezing, stormy waters… None of them compare to this. All those times, at least I knew how far away I was from the surface and what awaited me once I hit it. This is an endless void. I can't contain the scream that courses out of me in tune with Ri's own as he holds fast to my grip.

There's no point trying to spot a place to land: We can't see a thing, not even each other. Though as we continue to plunge through the dark abyss—cold, stale air tearing at our bodies as we descend—we find at least one good piece of fortune. Somehow, we can still breathe easy. That alone says that we're not in our world, because a fall like this would kill us on its own—nevermind the impact.

That fact brings me a small fragment of rationality to cling to amid my terror. I squeeze my partner's wrist, "Ri?! Ri, you have to listen to me, ok?!" When he doesn't react, I shout for him even louder, ignoring the clawing sensation at my vocal cords, "Remember how we practiced with our aura?! Levitating objects?! I know we couldn't really do it, but we have to try now, Ri! Something has to be at the bottom of this and we have to brace ourselves for it, alright?!"

He still doesn't hear me. Biting my lower lip, I go ahead and try it myself. I wish I could use Vacuum Wave instead it control the air, but I've never used it in a case like this and I'd be afraid of what the air currents would do to Ri.

This isn't easy. It's not the same as being able to control our aura in a way that gives it a physical form: It's a far more delicate process. More than that, we always summon our _own_ aura to create our staffs and spheres. According to our studies, in order to levitate things with aura, we'd need to manipulate the energy that already exists in the environment around whatever it is we're focusing on. It's so unstable that it's like trying to scoop up water with a bucket riddled with holes. I can't even fathom how my toddler-self managed it, granted without really knowing what she was doing.

Besides what we already know, it's the only serious aura technique that we've put a sufficient amount of training into. However, after months upon months of never succeeding beyond keeping a small object in the air for any longer than a single minute, we were both almost certain that it's something we'd have to develop after we evolve.

Well, desperate times call for grappling at any slim hope you can find.

Keeping ahold of my partner, extending my body in order to better carry myself, I focus on the air whipping around us—urging the aura around me to shift. For a moment, I panic as my body only feels heavier for an instant before feeling lighter again. We have to do this. We have to do this or we're going to die!

Another force tugging at the energy surrounding us lets me know that Ri's finally caught onto the plan. With both of our strengths, our bodies feel even lighter. Not enough to stop our descent, but enough to considerably slow us down. Maybe we won't even splatter when we eventually hit solid ground.

Which I see us fast approaching. It hardly looks like a speck at first, but then the shape suddenly elongates beyond the shadows, hinting at a large land mass. Extending my focus to it and the ever-shortening distance helps. We're still not stopping though. We can't completely stop ourselves. Almost at once, Ri and I let go of each other to each spiral our bodies in different directions. It's better to take the fall rolling than at full impact.

There's not even an opportunity to cry out in pain as my form slams into the rock. A blanket of white enshrouds my vision for a split second as I continue to skid along the earth—stones tearing into my flesh from all sides. My senses go numb at the same moment that the rest of me goes limp. I can't even feel anything at first. All I can do is stare at the patch of dirt directly in front of me and remain still as I give myself time to process the shock of the fall.

Everything hurts, but by some miracle, it doesn't seem as if I've broken anything. There's not any one point in my body that screams out in pain, no trouble moving my body when I can finally urge myself to, no telltale sign of a cracked rib from my ability to drawn in one shaky breath after another without any severe discomfort. Really, I just feel like a limp doll. My entire form feels rattled by the harsh landing to the extent where picking myself up off the ground is a grueling effort.

Ri groans from somewhere to my left and that's enough to force me into action. Dragging myself around, I watch him struggle to pick himself up in the same, aching manner that I suffer through. However, even though we were both knocked senseless, it doesn't look like he's seriously injured either. Stifling a grunt, he eventually manages to lift himself up into a sitting position. "Are you ok, Lira?" His words come out in more of a gasp than anything.

Unable to say much myself, I merely give him a weak nod. When I look up to try to see where we fell from, all I find above us is the unending darkness that surrounded us on the way down.

"It looks like we landed somewhere else…" he comments, drawing my attention to what's around us. Really, if we didn't give it much attention though, there wouldn't be many details that could differentiate from the level that I assume is floating somewhere above us. The same kind of stone as up there—rolling in a vast series of mounds and then building into mountains in the distance before vanishing into the shadows—covers this area completely. Otherwise, the biggest, distinguishing feature would be that this area is entirely walled off—almost like a valley.

A closer inspection shows more. Here, the rocks don't slope up naturally as they did before: It's as if they're carved in at a perfectly straight line. There's a tunnel just ahead too, and it also looks as if it's of someone's construction. We didn't have the chance to study them deeply, but in the Hidden Land there was a trail through the jungles that led into a series of ruins: Maybe this could be a similar place.

"This is all such a shock!" Ri cries as he continues to fight to regain his breath, "Who knew things would turn out this way! I don't understand… Why did Palkia suddenly attack us?! He seemed to be bellowing about the distortion of space…"

I curl my hands into sides in the earth. Just like Cresselia, Palkia seemed to think that we're the ones causing the distortion of space. No sooner than when we decided to try looking for him on our own too… I don't understand it either, but what I really don't get is why he brought us here. If he wanted to kill us, then why didn't he just go ahead and do it when he showed up at the Bluff? "Something's not right here…"

"Well, there's no mistaking one thing," Ri grunts as he stumbles onto his feet. He crosses the few steps over to me and helps me up. "Palkia is trying to get rid of us. He might attempt another attack. We should get out of here as soon as we can before he finds us."

I don't need to be told twice. Maybe if we go into the ruins, the passages will narrow off into tunnels that Palkia can't fit through. That's what I'm hoping anyway, but Ri's right: No matter what, we can only run. Forget about Palkia being a legendary and his current state of mind: Without our equipment and without a plan, we're at a severe disadvantage as it is.

We don't have Lapras to come get us, but with any luck, maybe we can even find a way out of here and back to our own world. There must be _something_ here that could react to Ri's Relic Fragment. There probably won't be a Rainbow Stoneship, but surely there's something.

Walking through the tunnels soon begins to feel like walking through the catacombs of an ancient crypt. The rocks above us steadily close in until only minor shafts of light breaking through them are left to guide our way from above. I don't risk forming a tiny Aura Sphere in the palm of my hand to use as a lantern until we're already a comfortable distance in—comfortable enough anyway that we know Palkia won't ambush us from out of nowhere.

The deeper in we go, the more the walls appear to sand themselves off, gradually removing the rough craters that distinguish the rocks outside. It looks like I guessed right before, because as the craters vanish, inscriptions begin to appear along the lengths of the walls instead. They're similar to the ones in the Hidden Land, but only in the style of the murals. There, it was legendaries like Mew, Dialga, and Palkia that were depicted. I recognize Arceus in one, but most of the others I don't. I mean, I imagine they're legendaries or Mythical Pokemon too, but they're not from any stories that I know. A couple of them actually look more like machines.

Then we stumble upon one mural that's impossible for us not to recognize. I've only seen it once in person, and that was also in the Hidden Land, but I recognize the symbols: Five figures encompassing an image of the sun. I didn't even think about it to realize what they were before, but they're meant to represent the Guardians of Light. The figures are meant to represent each guardian, but since they can be born into any creature in each generation, the symbols are vague.

It's so strange finding it here, among the murals of legendaries. After all the times we've been attacked by legendaries, I definitely can't make sense of it—or rather, it kind of annoys me. To be chosen to protect the world for them and then for them to try to kill us at every turn… I should hold more respect for them than I do, but I can't.

"There's a room back here," Ri motions for me from the opposing wall. That's when I notice the open entrance hidden in the shadows. "It's kind of small, so we could hide in here for a while."

I follow behind him as he enters. There's nothing entirely remarkable about it and it's pretty empty: Except for a pile of rocks set in one corner from where part of the ceiling has carved in, all that's in it is a stone slab that makes for a bed cushioned by a sheer fabric folded over itself. There are probably others, but it's not like Palkia could use this room, so I have to wonder why it was even built. Three long, identical slits in the far wall make for a kind of window that looks out over a long drop to an even deeper valley below the one we're in now.

"I don't know for how long we'll need to lay low in here, but we should at least wait for a half hour or so. Palkia's probably already looking for us, but maybe he'll eventually give up on searching this area."

It's quick, but no sooner has he said it, a darker shadow zooms over the rest that overlap one another outside. I instinctively move away from the window, shuffling back until my feet are swept out from under me as I plop down onto the slab.

"Why did he even bring us here…?" I muse in a soft whisper. I get that Palkia can't be in a stable frame of mind, but if anything, shouldn't that make him even more destructive? He could've tried to obliterate us, along with half of Treasure Town.

"I can't figure that out either," my partner sighs as he sits beside me. He then clenches his Relic Fragment tightly in one hand as he adds, "Then again, most of the legendaries we've seen haven't acted at all like they do in the stories."

Yeah, we're supposed to revere them as protectors. They're supposed to look after the world and the humans and Pokemon in it. They're supposed to be wise and all-powerful beings. Instead, most of them have tried to kill us without a moment's hesitation. Then you have the ones like Mew and Celebi, who act far from what anyone would expect. But I guess it's the same for us too: Guardians of Light who barely have an idea what our jobs even mean.

However, Palkia's sole duty is to protect space, and he acts as fiercely a defender of it as Dialga does over time. His mind is lost but… I steal another glance out of the window from where I sit. Thinking back on the Hidden Land, it was also being torn apart when time began to stop. Temporal Tower's collapse was only the beginning, because in the Dark Future the Hidden Land had merged with our world the instant Primal Dialga took over.

"Maybe… Palkia wanted us to see this…" Even with time stopping in various areas across our world, that didn't prepare us for what we went through in the Hidden Land. For all we know, the way this place looks now is nothing compared to how it would look without the distortion of space to corrupt it. "Maybe there's still a sane part of him that's trying to tell us something."

One of Ri's ears flicks back curiously as he tilts his head, "Tell us something? Tell us _what?_ "

"That he needs help?" I shrug, "I don't know, but he does. If he's connected to this place in the same way that Dialga is connected to Temporal Tower, then it's obvious that he's losing himself."

"But we don't even know if there's anything like the Time Gears that we could use to stop the distortion of space," he counters, lowering his eyes. "The Resistance spent months—maybe even years—collecting the information that they did, right? How are we supposed to find out how to fix things when we don't even know how to get back home? And what if we really are—?"

"We'll find a way. We always do," I cut in, "Look, if these ruins are set up anything like the ones we've been through before, then there's bound to be something big at the end of them. If we can't find a way out of here, then maybe we can at least find some clues about what's going on. We made it to the Spacial Rift like we wanted. That's something. Even with Palkia after us, we're still in the best place to look for information."

He knows I'm right, but he also knows that just walking outside of these ruins is asking for trouble. For all we know, Palkia might even be able to find us wherever we go in this realm by some sixth sense. As of now though, it's the only thing we can do.


	46. Chapter 46: Onslaught

There's no telling for how long we wandered the labyrinthine passageways of the ruins. Several times over, we had to backtrack because of a cave-in or a dead end. Other times, we'd race for an exit to the outside world only for it to drop off into the abyss. Only now, after what must've been for hours, do we make it out under the black, open sky—or at least whatever passes for it in this world.

"Lira, over there," Ri sighs, motioning to the far, rock wall some dozen meters front of us, "It's another dead end."

He's right. It's the closest thing we've found to an actual exit, but we're completely closed in on all sides by rock. We could try climbing, but the black ooze that cascades down their surfaces is less than inviting of the idea. Upon a closer look, the way it ripples and bubbles within the craters seems dangerously similar to tar. At least the ground is different here though, so we don't have to walk on the strange, painfully biting earth that encompasses us. If anything, the flat stones that cover the ground at or feet seem almost deliberate, like any other part of the temple. So maybe this was never supposed to be an exit, but some kind of arena.

"What should we do…?" he sighs, "We can't go any further."

"We keep looking for another way." I'm exhausted—the both of us are—but we don't have the luxury of stopping anywhere now. We gave ourselves a short time to rest and for Palkia to leave this area earlier: That was it. Now we have to keep pushing ourselves forward. I don't know how we'll be stuck here, but there hasn't been any sign of food or water. Even if we can't find a way home just yet, we should hunt for those things.

There also hasn't been any sign of any clues. From what little we can translate from the murals, they all talk about stories from thousands upon thousands of years ago. There's nothing that talks about the disturbances with space. If we had any idea of what the Spacial Rift might've looked like before this, that would at least give us a clue of how far Palkia's mind has gone and much time we have left to solve this, but there's no way to tell.

I've just turned around to retrace our steps when the ground begins to rumble beneath us and a cry of surprise passes from the both of us. More tremors. Why is this happening again?! I get a sudden vision of the earth possibly dropping out from under us and the entire area falling into an abyss like so many other places we've seen have done. But quickly, a far more deadly and accurate idea takes its place.

Which plays before us no sooner than it crosses my mind. A blast of air falls over us from above and Palkia's hulking form drops down after it, landing with a thud that jars the earth beyond the other tremors. Either he found us quicker than expected or he's been lying in wait for us. Ri and I scatter, diving out of the way. I keep my body facing the Guardian of Space and observe him carefully, but I can't read him. I don't know how far he is beyond reason.

"P-Palkia!" Ri stammers, fighting the rise of panic in his voice, "Please! Just let us go! We haven't done anything wrong!"

But the legendary just bares his fangs in a hateful snarl, "Your resistance is useless! You will never escape from this place!"

As we both grimace, another tremor rocks the earth and there's a loud rumble of something collapsing behind us. Stealing a brief glance at our backs, I find the way back inside the ruins has collapsed and my expression darkens. There's no retreat now. I could try hurtling an Aura Sphere at it to break through, but if Palkia attacks us as we move—and he will—we'll be trapped between a rock and a hard place. On top of that, I'll have wasted a lot of my power. Our only choice is to hold our ground, or at least scramble to find a way up and over the pits of tar.

"I will reveal why," Palkia continues in the calmest voice we've heard from his thus far. It's still heated, but the difference is enough to catch our attention. The self-importance that's added to his tone though is enough for a sneer to form at my lips. "It is your fate to be obliterated by me. You should accept your deaths with honor, Guardians."

A reddish-pink light materializes from one of the pearls at his shoulders and cascades down his arm as he gets ready to use Power Gem. It's not normally all that dangerous a move, but I remember when the Sableye combined their powers and nearly chopped Grovyle's head clean-off his shoulders with it. I don't want to know what a legendary can do with it.

"H-here he comes, Lira! We have to fight!" My partner screams at me in warning a mere instant before Palkia cuts the air with a wide swipe to send that energy barreling toward us. We jump. I feel the force behind the attack brushing under me when I'm airborne—hear the alarming quake of that power exploding against rock as it strikes against the walls of the ruins.

Flipping back to keep Palkia at a distance, I ready my own move. My body steps into action with the attack as naturally as breathing and the air turns in my favor. They're sharp and stale, but they come to my summons as I use Vacuum Wave just as readily as the winds in our world do. The dust and small rocks they pick up cut along my body as they whirl around me.

"This is it!" Palkia growls at us, "Submit now and I might grace you with a quick end!"

I don't get the chance to send my attack at him. The entirety of his body begins to radiate with a pinkish-violet hue, the pearls glowing with an even more striking intensity. Even his eyes take on a more vivid hue of orange, as if the whole the energy were consuming him. Then, without a moment's notice for me to even register what's happening, he slashes his arm downward to send a massive, crescent blade of that energy our way.

I'm right in the line of fire and am knocked back with the force of a stampede. For what brief instant I have to watch the terrifying power swarm over me, it's as though I'm looking through the world through a tinted, shattered glass. Once the confusion is gone, the pain settles in. First the feeling of being burned alive followed by every part of my body screaming as it slams into a rock wall and the blade-like wave of energy cuts into my every nerve—like being struck with a million, tiny knives.

My ears ringing and the world a momentary blur around me, I crash back down to the earth. Somewhere in the back of my head, I hear Ri screaming for me. More noticeable than that though is how much it hurts to simply breathe. A rib. A rib or two has to be cracked at least. My luck ran out after that jump and I've finally gone and broken a bone, haven't I? Either that or my insides are so scrambled right now that my lungs are threatening to ooze from my ribcage.

Maybe it's because I'm still in shock over it all for only the fact of that to really register, but all I can really think of beyond the pain is how impossible that seemed. _Palkia broke through my Vacuum Wave…_ Nothing should be able to do that since the winds act as a protective barrier until the second the attack is made. But he did it. He sliced through it like it was nothing. It's not anything less than what I would expect from a legendary, but the sheer brutality of the attack is jarring in itself.

A straggled cough ruptures out of me and as my body curls in on itself in response, the dagger-like feeling in my chest returns. I open my mouth in a silent howl of pain, clenching my teeth together to silence myself. All that makes it out of me is a gasping, soft cry. My vision blurs and a faint trickle of something salty traces down my cheek, glazing the corner of my mouth. Something's damaged, I know that. I just have to fight through it. Endure it.

Despite my first attempt, there's no containing the scream I make when I try to pick myself up though. I spot Ri out of the corner of my sight as he gets up and races over to me from where the move blaster him back and I bite my lower lip. I've handled worse: I'm _not_ out of the fight! I brace myself on my feet, shuffling into the best position I can to sprint into action if have to. Moving's only going to make things worse, but I don't have a choice here!

Palkia takes a step forward, as though he's about to lash out at us once again, but stops short: He instead jerks his head to one side attentively, like there's someone in his ear. Just like Dialga. He shakes his head, clenching his fists at his sides as he seems to mutters some unintelligible thing beneath his breath.

It's enough of a delay to let my partner reach me. He looks me over, and I can tell from his eyes that he knows I'm hurt, but he merely twists his mouth into a worried frown. He's not going to say anything because he knows that even if it were safe for either of us to sit back, I won't listen. It's not like any sidelines exist in this fight anyway. "Can you use your aura like when you held back Dialga?" he hurriedly asks, "If you can hold him, I can close in to attack."

Arceus, I haven't even _tried_ that since we fought Dialga… It was just another burst of power, like so many of the other times I've been able to do similar things just for the sake of survival. I don't even know what it was, so it's not like I've bothered trying to master it like I did Aura Sphere. Still, I have to try.

How did I do it? I know I bended the currents of aura that surrounded him, but from what I can tell, they're so weak here that I couldn't force myself to do it again if I tried—maybe if I could draw it from my own aura, but that would be too risky.

I grimace. I'll have to draw aura from Palkia himself… It's the best chance we have to get it to work. Somehow, I know that's something in line for divine punishment, but we really can't do much else. "I need to get to him. If I can pull enough aura from him, I might be able to bind him in place."

His expression turns even darker when I say that, but he nods. It's not really the right thing to do, but we're desperate. I'm not in any shape to fight now and there's no way out. If I can just take enough to bind Palkia down, maybe I won't have to draw much. I don't have to hurt him.

A feral growl gives us a moment's notice to what happens next. In a repeat of earlier, that same glow begins to take over the legendary a second time. I feel my body tense up as I watch his arm draw back to send the energy vaulting through the air to cut through us once again, but before he can send it our way another force pushes me to the ground. I bark out a harsh yelp as I fall onto my side, the pain driving into my abdomen like rusted nails being hammered through my flesh.

Then Ri drops his body over mine, encircling an arm around my waist protectively. No sooner is he down, the same, fearsome wave as before lashes out at us. Low to the ground, we don't catch the bulk of the blast as I did last time, but the power behind it still throws us. All the while, I grit my teeth as the pain continues to dig into my chest and Ri hangs onto me so I won't take the brunt of the damage. I can barely give a name to that kind of power, so how we're still able to cling to life while taking it is beyond me.

When the crescent blade has finally passed over us, Ri shuffles back into his feet and pulls me up after him. From the way he grunts and stiffens his body as he moves, he's likely taken a great deal of damage himself. I didn't see what happened to him before, but even with him shielding me that time, I feel like I'm about to lose the last of my strength. I don't know how bad he's taken those hits, but I don't think either of us will be able to stay on out feet if Palkia uses that move again.

"I don't know what that is," Ri gasps between ragged breaths, "but based on that glow I'm pretty sure it's a Dragon-type move. All of the stories said that Palkia is part Dragon-type. If we could just turn that on him, then maybe—"

"Are you nuts?!" I scream at him. I know what he's planning: He's going to use Copycat to give Palkia a taste of his own medicine. It's not a bad idea in theory, but I remember when I used it to mimic that Gyarados' Hyper Beam. I barely had the strength to move afterwards because my body wasn't meant to handle that kind of power in the same way his species can. And this is a power unlike anything we've ever seen before—a legendary's power!

But Ri's already dragging me directly behind him. There's a hard-set look in his eyes that says there's no point in arguing as he's already made up his mind. The instant I'm safely in place, his body begins to take on the same pinkish-purple hue that Palkia's did. He shifts into a more secure footing and levels his arms at his sides while his entire being seems to electrify. I don't need to be an Aura Guardian to sense the chaotic energy that begins to warp around him.

That attack has an unbelievable reach that's impossible to dodge, but where I'm standing not a hair's distance from my partner's back there's no chance of me getting hit. Unlike when Palkia summoned his crescent blades, Ri fires his in an upward arc at the legendary. They start out small, and then warp into the size of the massive bolts of energy that had been sent out way—slicing across the distance with an echo following them that appears to morph the view in front of us like a curved, broken mirror.

No sooner he released the powerful wave, my partner drops to the ground on his hands and knees with a pained look overtaking him. I grimace, but—bracing my chest with one arm—I run after it, using Quick Attack to propel myself forward in a greater burst of speed. I can't believe he would do something that! Then again, I would've done the same thing. He'll be fine, he'll recover: Right now though, more importantly than anything, he's bought me a few seconds to close in and I can't waste them.

But I curse under my breath when I see that the move doesn't affect Palkia in the way we hoped it would. The attack catches him off-guard, but right in the nick of time he seems to bend the space around him to partially shield himself. The wave as well seems to split apart and roll around him and my expression sours further. It can't just be a regular Dragon-type attack then, but a move directly linked to space itself for him to be able to manipulate it like he can.

Fine! Then I won't hold back either. A deep growl seething from my fangs, I lunge the remaining distance to skirt around his right leg and press my free hand to the rough texture of his hide.

To say I'm unprepared for what I draw along with his aura though would be putting it lightly. Leave it to him as a legendary, but his stores of aura are unreal. No sooner have I begun siphoning from them, his aura courses through my body like fire winding up a dry log. I'm taking it from him, but it's so intense that it feels like it's consuming me and so powerful that it's terrifying. Even more than that, there's something about it that feels very wrong.

As strong as his aura is, I can actually feel a tainted something in it. There was always something wrong the other two times I've done this, a hint of darkness to that person's aura—more like the way the Dark Future itself felt. This is to an entirely different extreme though, and a shiver courses my spine as I take it in.

Palkia catches on quickly enough, spinning around and knocking me back with his tail. I cry out as it strikes my upper body and sends my skidding across the ground, clenching my chest even tighter. I don't wait for him to follow up with a fourth attack—expelling the aura I just absorbed out of me and bending it around him.

It's more fabricated an attempt than when I got it to work on Dialga, but at least it's relatively stable. Still… "Ri!" I scream, casting only the briefest glance at my partner as he tries to push himself back onto his feet, "If you're going to do something, you better do it fast!"

He forces himself to stand at that, and it is then that I notice the falter in his gait as he moves. It must be one of his legs bothering him, but he grits his teeth and charges forward. Focusing his remaining strength to one side, he propels himself up into the air and summons a ring of lights around him as he uses Reversal. Spinning around to keep moving on a direct course, he then kicks out with his good leg as he rapidly descends toward the legendary. The light follows him, swarming over Palkia as Ri knocks him against his skull. Then, grabbing Palkia by the fin protruding down the path of his neck to swing his body around, he drives his foot down at him again—this time right at the unprotected muscle near the Spatial Pokemon's collarbone. Again, he continues the attack, sweeping under the arm this time and lashing out at the side of Palkia's abdomen with Force Palm before dropping to the earth.

A noise between a snarl and a medium-pitched gurgle reverberates from him when he lands, shuffling back with an uneven footing. At the same time, another series of coughs wracks my body. Still clenching my chest, I curve forward as a thick glob of phlegm catches within my throat before I hack it out. Look down rattles me more than the pain itself does though. A red coloration is mixed in with the clear spittle.

My gaze snaps back up when Palkia releases a booming cry of fury. The aura I had channeled around him to hold him in place is shattered as he swings his arms out against them. Not wasting a second, a torrent of water wraps around the length of his tail as he swings it at us.

There's no time to think of a counterattack: I just use Endure to brace myself against the move. His Aqua Tail strikes me right at my core, and another straggled cough is choked out of me. I feel a thin line of something warm running down my chin from my mouth and I latch onto Palkia to avoid being flung back to the ground. Ri's not as lucky as I am: I'm sure he uses Endure too, but he gets struck in the side and is sent tumbling a few meters' distance.

Even though I managed to capture his tail, I can't hold on. As soon as Palkia flicks his tail upward, I'm sent flying. The claws one of one his hands begin to glow a vivid white as he prepares to use Slash as I fall back down.

I force my body to veer directly toward his center. My teeth clenched, I abandoned the defensive clasp I've kept on my ribs and swing my legs around to knock him at the base of his chin as I use Counter. A loud clamp rings in my ears as the attack knocks his jaws together and there's no small amount of satisfaction I get when a white shape almost the size of my paw hits my foot as it falls to the earth from his mouth.

And then my body drops after it. Ri's there to catch me before I can hit the ground, a pained grunt leaving the both of us before he darts back to get away from Palkia. Even after that hit though, with Counter striking him with twice the force he used for Aqua Tail, he still looks like he's raring to go! "Does he even feel anything from those attacks?!" Ri barks, shuffling back further with me in his arms.

"Even if he doesn't now, he's about to feel a whole lot worse!" I raise my arm upward, quickly forming an Aura Sphere in my grasp and launching it at the legendary. And I fire another, and then another! I'm not about to let us die this way! One of the spheres flies straight for him, driving into his core: The other two swerve around in opposite direction, one knocking him in the shoulder and the other at his thigh.

If he expected either of us to lie down and let him kill us, then he's got another thing coming! Even if we never get out of here, even if we end up fighting him to our final breaths, there's no way we'll just accept this! I won't let that happen! I wait only for the few seconds longer that it takes to manifest a stronger, fourth Aura Sphere before launching it after the others.

My eyes widen at the light that encircles it from Ri casting Reversal at the same time in a combination attack. When I look up at him, I find a note of fear in his eyes, but a steely, fierce determination outweighing it. I know that Palkia bringing us here has jarred his certainty about us causing the distortion in space more than anything, but even after all of his doubts he's still fighting. He's fighting the Guardian of Space himself so we can both live…

So I have no doubts about the power behind our attack as it streaks across the short distance to knock Palkia back. I boosted the strength of that Aura Sphere, and Reversal increases in power the more hits an opponent has already taken in a fight. It's got to be strong enough to even the field a bit. The legendary roars with outrage, collapsing onto his knee after the inevitable blast from our combination attack. He heaves deep breaths and I know we're finally wearing him out.

"One more time," I command, readying a fifth Aura Sphere into my palm. Now that we do have an opening, we can't relent. This time, I notice an odd tint merging with the glow of Ri's Reversal as he summons it. He must be using his aura to power the attack further. Smart. "Legendary or not, there's no second-guessing ourselves here, Ri. Let's take him down!"

"Right!"

If we thought his mind was worse before though, now that we've actually done some damage, it's almost like he's gone savage. His pupils shrink and a feral screech bellows out of him as he rears back up onto his feet.

What's more worrying than that though is the already dark void surrounding us suddenly becoming even bleaker. A shadow passing over shadows, the entire area is muted by a deep, omnipresent grey. Even the light from our held attacks is dulled. However, it doesn't seem like Palkia's the one making this happen.

Actually Palkia isn't doing much of anything. He had only drawn his body back moments ago in preparation to strike, but now he remains perfectly still. It's scary how much it reminds of something else: The frozen statues of victims caught in the waves of time's collapse in the Dark Future. "Palkia…" Ri muses aloud in a confused whisper, "Palkia has stopped moving… What happened to him?"

"Palkia has been…" a soft voice begins, seemingly coming from all around us. Then it seems to draw closer, as if a person were right by us. "Palkia has been enveloped by a nightmare. Just as Azurill has."

"Where is it coming from?" Ri murmurs fearfully to himself before raising his voice, "Who are you? What do you mean Palkia's been enveloped by a nightmare?" But he has to know just like I do: I recognize the same calm, feminine tone as well.

"It means that the power of darkness has spread so much farther," the voice replies as it seems to move around us, "If its growth remains unchecked, the world will become drowned in darkness. But you two… Would you two enter Palkia's nightmare?"

I flinch as Ri echoes those words uncertainly, "What? Palkia's nightmare?!"

"Yes. By entering his nightmare, you will learn why Palkia attacked you. So? What will you do?"

My mouth forms a deep line. I don't dissipate my Aura Sphere, but I do pull myself out of Ri's hold. Every single movement is painful, but I don't like this. This has got to be a trap. Palkia doesn't seem to be suffering in the same way Azurill was: It's like he's been frozen.

"What'll we do, Lira?" Ri asks, keeping me close to him so he can support me while I stand, "Should we go into the nightmare?"

Should we? No, absolutely not! We went into Azurill's nightmare and we nearly got ourselves killed! Even if Palkia doesn't get us—or some other dark manifested being in his mind—we'll just be falling right into Cresselia's hands!

Nevertheless… It's stupid, I know, but we do still need to find out what's going on. It doesn't look like we're going to get any answers here, so maybe going into Palkia's mind is the only option we have left. Either way, here in the Spacial Rift or in his nightmare, I know we're running out of time before our injuries overwhelm us. _We'll just have to steel ourselves for whatever happens…_

"Alright," I snap in a low voice, fighting back another urge to cough, "We'll go. But you take us _directly_ to Palkia."

"Fine! You've decided! I will send you into Palkia's nightmare." That voice is as calm as ever, and this time even carries a note of pleasure. Really though, I doubt we had much of a choice anyway from the sound of it.

A repeat of our experience with Drowzee sending us into Azurill's nightmare plays before us, and my head already feels like it's swimming as we fade through the purple haze that swarms over us.


	47. Chapter 47: The Darkness Returns

After what all we've already been through, being spirited away into Palkia's mind doesn't affect us in the same way it did last time. My body feels unnaturally light and it takes a few seconds for the shadows that haze over my vision to clear.

I may have said I wanted to be taken directly to Palkia, but that still doesn't brace me for the sight of him glaring daggers at us now or the situation he's in. Similar to how I bound him with aura before, a dark, swirling energy courses around him form and keeps him in place, in the heart of the space corralled by rock that we stand in now—which is only different than the arena we left behind in size. Why he's bound like this, I have no idea, but he's clearly both shocked to see us here.

"You two?! What are you doing in mind dreams?!" he barks, struggling against his bonds. A moment later though, he halts, shaking his head and staring at the earth in confusion, "No… I remember! We battled! So why am I… dreaming?"

We both hesitate to say a word. At least Palkia seems more rational here than he does in the real world. There's just no guarantee that we're save from him, even in the state he's in now. Anything we say or do might set him off. Ri sighs, explaining with notable caution, "You've been enveloped by a nightmare, Palkia…"

"What did you say?!" he shouts. Behind that gaze though, I see him slowly processing my partner's words before his eyes narrow darkly. "I'm… I'm in a nightmare…"There's more to his expression than just hate though. There's something that I never expected to see from a legendary: Fear. He's afraid.

With an enraged roar, he struggles against the ropes of energy that cage him with even greater fury. Ri grabs me by the shoulder, dragging me a few steps away from Palkia, but there doesn't seem to be any chance of him breaking free and attacking us this time.

"This proves it!" he screams, lurching his body toward us to no avail, "You both should not exist!"

"Palkia! W-wait a second! We want to ask you something!" Ri shouts over him. I can feel his body shaking, but he continues to keep a protective hold on me. "Palkia, why are you trying to get rid of us?"

"You dare pretend that you don't know?!" he growls in reply, "You are distorting space with reckless abandon! If the distortion spreads, the power of darkness will grow! The world will be drowned in this nightmare of darkness! And to prevent it…" He sneers as he tries to struggle free once again, "To prevent you must be wiped from this existence!"

My partner swallows hard, "But there must be… There must be some other way!" I feel his grip on me tighten and I send him a reassuring pulse of my aura signature in response. He continues, "You govern space and dimension, don't you, Palkia? Can't you correct the distortion of space yourself?"

His gaze hardens on us and his mouth curls into a sneer. Despite it though, I also recognize a note of uncertainly for just a brief instant. "It is true that I can bend space to my will," he rumbles, "but, for the first time ever, I am unable to control a part of space! Worse still, the distortion in space in amplifying! This is all your doing! There is now but one way to save the world and that is for you to be erased from it forever!"

And, just like that, I see my partner's resolve starting to crack.

His grip on my shoulder lessens and he looks as though he's been struck. Of course, if Palkia is saying it, there's no reason for him not to believe it. Palkia's only desire would be to protect space, so even with whatever feelings he may have about us as Guardians of Light, he would only ever do what's right to keep all in his domain in check—just like Dialga would for time. Him, of all people, would have to be telling us the truth.

"Lira…" Ri hand finally falls, drifting to limply take my fingers in his own, "Cresselia was telling us the truth after all. Maybe they're right about us. Maybe we do have to disappear…"

No. No, I still refuse to believe it! After all what's happened, after the dark energy that I drew from the Spatial Pokemon when I took part of his aura… I know in my heart that this isn't right!

My heart thudding within the confines of my chest, my cough worsens. Gasping for breath, bending at the waist, I allow the feeling tearing at me from the inside pass. I hack up another wad of phlegm like before. I find the red color tinting it is even worse than before.

"I feel sorry for you…" Looking up, I see the last thing I wanted to find in Palkia's eyes. Pity. "The Guardians of Light had always served their part well in ages long past. But you're just another batch of fallen heroes. You've lost yourselves."

What…? My mind begins to fog over. No, that isn't right…

My eyes widen as the bonds suddenly dissipate around Palkia. He looks down in a moment's bafflement, but quickly dismisses it. He raises an arm upward, the limb shivering with the pinkish-violet energy he had used against us before. "This must be done to preserve peace," he continues, "Please understand."

"P-Palkia…" Ri stammers.

Raising his arm high, the legendary takes a step toward us. We need to move. We need to run. But Ri's frozen still and my body isn't doing what I tell it to! Everything hurts!

Arceus, be with us…

And then it's as if the world goes still a second time over. We all pause at the sound of a woman's voice: "Here you are… I've found you at last!"

A bright light suddenly warps the piece of earth behind Palkia, and immeadiately after a figure appears in its stead. After all of the torment she's brought us over the past few weeks, I'd know who this Pokemon is anywhere.

"C-Cresselia!" Ri gasps. I can only stare at her. Even Palkia seems shocked by her appearance, and he doesn't say a word either. Of course she came though: She's here to finish us off!

"The spreading of darkness engulfs even this place!" she murmurs, taking a look at our dismal surroundings. Palkia takes a step away from her, and she closes in on us, "You must be eliminated as soon as possible! Before we finally pass the point of no return!"

I growl dangerously at her in answer. I'm sure I can still fight, if just for a little longer. But between her, and Palkia, and the confines of this nightmare, we have nowhere to go. All we can do if fight under the very end.

"Lira," my partner calls out to me in a sad voice, "We refused to give up. We did what we could. After everything we did… was it all for nothing? Was all our effort… just a waste?"

I shake my head. I try to speak, but my coughing overwhelms me once again. My head hurts just as badly as my chest does, and the world around me starts to grow fuzzy. No. No, no, no! This is wrong!

"So are you ready for your end?" she asks.

 _Go to Yveltal, you witch…_

"Cresselia… One moment!" Ri insists, "Tell us one last thing! If we disappear, will the world really and truly be saved?"

"Yes," she answers him without the slightest hesitation. At the same time though, she acts as though the question annoys her. "It absolutely will. The world will be saved. It's beyond a shadow of a doubt. Are you finally satisfied?!"

Ri turns to look at me and he captures my gaze. His eyes are blurry, but he doesn't tear his gaze away from mine. "Yes," he replies softly, "If we must… if we really must disappear… If that will save the world…"

I can't believe this. After so much, Ri's will is starting to sway. And… I still don't want to believe it, but so is mine. This can't really be it though. This can't be the right thing to do—or if it is, then bringing me and the others back to life and to the past, out of everything he put us through in the Dark Future, is the cruelest thing Dialga could've ever done to us.

I can't get my body to stop shaking. Everything hurts…

"Wait, Cresselia." Tired eyes flicking upward, I raise a brow when Palkia speaks up. His arms are now held level at his sides and the energy he had summoned has evaporated. "Blinded by fury, I attacked them earlier, but upon seeing them now…" He stares at us, tilting his head to the side. "They do not seem driven by malice or wickedness. In my dreams, Cresselia, you insisted that they were corrupted. But are they truly evil?"

Cresselia said that about us?! I feel a torch inside me flare to life at that. "What…?!" I want to scream, but it barely comes out as a faint croak. After all we've done, after all we've sacrificed, we're the bad guys?!

"Don't be fooled by appearances, Palkia," she scoffs, "If we get rid of them now, all will be saved."

So, just like us, Cresselia has been visiting Palkia in his dreams… I was right: Something is wrong! Even Palkia is beginning to see that and is growing suspicious! All of this is just based on Cresselia's claims!

And she's beginning to notice fast that's she's wedged herself between a rock and a hard place with both us and Palkia here. "Enough!" she barks, "I will be rid of you now!"

 _Ri! Don't abandon hope!_ I use Endure.

"Now, take this!" She cries, summoning an Ice Beam before her.

That's when everything goes black around us.

Only for a fleeting second does the thought that we might've been killed enter my mind. And after it's gone, it's as though someone were whispering in my head with a warm smile playing on their lips: "Yes, that's exactly it! Never abandon hope!"

Another light suddenly appears, but it's a soft, pleasant one—like standing under the rays of a full moon on a calm, clear night. Somehow, even with the situation we're in, it makes me feel peaceful.

It comes as quickly as it goes, and the lighting surrounding us goes back to normal. To everyone's surprise though, we find a fifth person now standing with us. And that person is a second Cresselia.

My mind draws to a complete blank. It's not like I can't imagine their being more of her species, but I had barely imagined seeing one in my lifetime—much less two. And no matter what, they look exactly like mirror copies of one another.

At least, that's what I think at first. The longer I look at her though, the more differences I begin to find. This Cresselia seems to radiate purity, like a living drop of moonlight. A twinkle in her motherly eyes and her beaked mouth curved up in a solacing grin are also new to me. This is the Cresselia I always thought of when I read about her, someone who appears as gentle and bright as she is beautiful.

Saying anything, she manifests a light to the crown like fixture at her skull, bowing her head to cast it against her duplicate. The light seems to tear away at the other's form, which begins to take a completely different shape. The sight of what appears in place of her makes my blood run cold.

The newly manifested being appears to be eaten away at by shadows the moment the light vanishes. It takes me a second to realize that this Pokemon is taking the shape of the shadows themselves. A body like a ghost's and cloaked like death. Long, gangly fingers like claws. Red growths that line his collar and wrap back around his neck. A trail of white mist that billows from his head and partially covers half of his mysterious visage. And, most jarring, a bright, blue eye that I could never forget.

"What is this?!" Palkia demands heatedly once he's over his initial shock, "Who is this?!"

Pitch Black… my numb mind whispers as I remain motionless. He did come after me. He followed me here…

As fast as a bolt of lightning, Cresselia darts in front of us and slams her body into his. The latter grunts in pain as he's knocked back, dragging his claws against the earth to stop himself from skidding further away from us. He glares daggers at her, but all the while she maintains a look of great relief. "Excellent! I was just in time!"

"Blast you!" The shadowy Pokemon seethes as he pushes himself up from the ground to levitate in place, "Cresselia!" he spits out the name, "I was just about to dispose of those meddlers once and for all!"

"Please listen, Lira, Ri, and Palkia," she implores us, not once taking her steady gaze away from him, "You have been misled all this time! By Darkrai here! The Cresselia you thought you knew until now was not me! That false Cresselia was nothing more than an illusion made by Darkrai! It was merely a mockery of me!"

"The Cresselia we knew up until now was just a fake?!" my partner balks.

"Darkrai!" Cresselia shouts, "Using an illusionary duplicate of me to deceive others is so typical of you! But you usually never bring your actual self out of hiding! You normally operate under the cover of darkness! That you'd personally emerge from the shadows to dispose of these two children…" Despite her outrage, a despairing haze clouds over her eyes, "That is so very unlike you!"

Pitch Black… All this time, it really was him… It was always the same Pokemon that tried so desperately to kill me in my own time. The same Pokemon that controlled Masa like a puppet. The same Pokemon that tormented Ri and I in our dreams.

I hate myself for flinching when his gaze rises from the Psychic-type to glare at Ri and me next. "You two, behind Cresselia…" As he speaks, Ri moves closer to my side defensively, pressing my back against his chest. "Pay close attention. Now, the one truly responsible for exploiting the space distortion? For shrouding the world in a nightmare…? It is my doing. Mine alone. You are more than welcome to try and stop me, Guardians. Come to me in the Dark Crater."

What? He's challenging us? Raising a lanky hand upward, he summons a bleak vortex that begins to consume him. He's escaping! I should do something! I should go after him!

But I can't. Neither my mind nor my body will let me move. I feel heavy and an icy grip clings to my heart.

"You're not getting away, Darkrai!" Cresselia rushes after him, but it's too late. Not even Palkia has the chance to react in time before the vortex vanishes into thin air and Pitch Black along with it.

"You cannot catch me, Cresselia! Not ever!" A wicked baritone seems to laugh from all around us, "You two… I shall be waiting in the Dark Crater."

"Dark… Crater…" my partner echoes.

My legs give out from under me and he screams my name in surprise, supporting me so I don't hurt myself further. Pitch Black, it's him! My mind continues to scream, It's him! He's never going to leave me alone! No matter what, he's just going to keep trying to kill me and everyone around me! He'll never give me a moment's peace of mind until the day I die! He—!

I'm shaking. I can't stop shaking. I bite my lower lip.

I want to wake up now. I want this nightmare to end.

Now that the danger has passed, at least for the moment, Cresselia hovers back over to us. "Are you both alright?" she asks in an empathetic, tender voice. But one look and she can tell that we're not. We're both exhausted and badly injured. We need to get to a healer.

"He nearly pushed me to kill the chosen Sword and Shield…" Palkia murmurs, "If his power is great enough to distort my mind, then the world is in danger of falling into the very ruin he described. Without the Guardians of Light, he could do as he pleases. He must be stopped, but I…"

"Darkrai lied, Palkia," Cresselia reassures him, "With the state your domain is in he was able to manipulate you, but you are not trapped within a nightmare. I went to Dialga for help. He froze you temporarily in order to give me the time to get here." Hearing this only seems to peak the Spatial Pokemon's anger, but she swiftly adds, "If he hadn't, you might have killed these children. I asked him to do it. It may have gone against the treaty, but if you want to take the matter to the others, consider that first…"

Their voices grow fainter and fainter. I look up wearily at my partner's face. He gazes worriedly back down at me, then says something to the pair of legendaries. A bright, warm light soon washes over us.

And my consciousness fades.


	48. Chapter 48: Wanted

_Lost within the haze of my own mind, I feel as though I'm both floating and drowning in an endless sea. Whispers come and go like ripples on the water—faintly caressing me, but ultimately untouchable. Trying to grasp any one of them is like trying to catch a rolling wave along the shoreline. Every voice is as soft and indistinguishable as the last, overlapping one another beyond any realm of sense:_

"… _survive…"_

"… _weren't so hardheaded…"'_

"… _look after the children…"_

"… _when will…"_

"… _need to act soon, before…"_

 _It hurts. And for a moment, the underlying current begins to drag my form away from them—deep down further beneath the churning waters. I feel so cold and lost here, but all the same a secret part of me doesn't want to resurface. It scares me._

 _I see something begin to take shape in the emptiness: At first, it looks like a double-ringed hoop of some kind, glistening a vividly bright golden hue. Then, it begins to morph into something else with a rounded, crowned head and a long mane. I can't make out much more than that, but I shiver. Not long after that though, an immediate calm begins to fall over me._

 _After that, a burning sensation ruptures from my core, setting the whole of me on fire—my bones like a steel frame locked within a blacksmith's raging forge. I want to scream, but the increasing weight of the sea is overpowering. It crushes me all the while. I try to get away from the feeling, but even if I could escape it, small currents begin to chain my body in place. I can't move! I can't swim! I can't breathe! It hurts! As if in manifestation of the broiling feeling in my chest, the space around me begins to distort in an eruption of bubbles. It's been a while since I've known a pain like this: I try to remember when the last time was, but it evades my memory._

 _Fortunately though, the feeling is brief. The water then seems to seep through my body, cooling down the intense burning, and at the same instant I swear I hear something almost like a song calling me in the distance. I get the distinct impression that I've heard it somewhere before, but again, the facts of where and when are lost to me._

 _If there's any blessing to it, it's that I can feel it dragging me up upward—back to the world above, where the voices are waiting for me. I will not drown just yet…_

* * *

There's no point to explaining how much my body aches when I open my eyes. My mind is still foggy, and there's something that tries to tug me back under the embrace of a soothing emptiness once more, but the striking normality of where I am now jars me out of my stupor enough. The calm darkness of a summer night blankets over me, and I'm lying flat on my back against a bed of hay. Something—a folded cloth, I think—cushions my head up and snugly fastened bandages wrap around my torso. There's a sound of running water from a naturally-formed spring to my left, and beneath that the steady roll of waves. I'm back home, in Sharpedo Bluff. Everything's quiet and peaceful.

"Palkia…" I croak out in a soft voice that feels as though it hasn't been used in ages. Palkia tried to kill us, I remember that much. He took us to the Spacial Rift and we fought against him. Then Cresselia—no, _Pitch Black_ came, and—

 _Darkrai…_ That's that Pokemon's real name, isn't it? The one that's haunted me for so long. As much as I want to dismiss what happened as nothing more than a dream, as easy as it would be to let go of it, the bandages are a stark reminder of how real what we went through was. Darkrai really did follow me back here from the future, and now he's after all of us. He tried to trick us into thinking we should kill ourselves, and then tried to get Palkia to kill us.

I flinch when a hand suddenly presses against my forehead. The touch, however, is gentle and familiar. My gaze following the path it, I look up wearily to find a reassuring figure at my side that causes my heart to leap. Tears begin to prick my eyes and soon enough I'm crying the silent tears that I've fought so hard against, because the person who sits at my side now is one of the few that I know for a fact I'm allowed to show my own weakness to. And I hate myself, because all of the trouble I'm in has to be eating him alive. "Grovyle…" I murmur, reaching for him before I even realize it.

He takes my hand in his own, giving it a firm squeeze. He's really here. He made it back to Treasure Town… After all the times he's scolded me for my own recklessness, the tender way he now looks at me without saying a word is more piercing than anything. He's one of the last people I'd ever want to get hurt because of me, and I just keep doing it! Curling my body around, with him bracing my back with his free hand, I lower my head into his lap and begin to sob harder.

Temporal Tower was supposed to be the end of it. The world was supposed to be saved and nature's balance corrected the minute we set the Time Gears in place. We weren't supposed to suffer like this, or be hunted down like this. It was all supposed to be over. But because of Darkrai, and because of me, we all have to go through this nightmare.

For the longest while he continues to say nothing, keeping his hold of my hand and stroking my hair consolingly. I don't even know what there is to say. That I should've wrote to him about the dreams sooner? That Ri and I should've stayed hidden instead of taking the Guardian of Space head on? That I'm lucky enough just to be alive? I know. I know I'm stupidly all-reaction. If it weren't for Cresselia—the _real_ Cresselia—Ri and I could've died because of those blind reactions, and I just—

"I love you so much…"

The whispered statement jolts me, and for an instant my silent cry catches in my throat. Yes, I know that, but to hear it from him now, of all times…

Barely shifting my head, I spot something lying on his opposing side. At first, I can't tell what it is, but soon enough the faded, jade color contrasting against the pale white and jet black figure lets me know exactly what I'm looking at: My bunka doll from when I was a human.

Grovyle's stare follows mine to where it is and, letting me go, he picks it up carefully. "You've been unconscious for a few days now…" he murmurs, not tearing his gaze away from the toy, "Cresselia explained the situation. You were badly injured and Celebi she… She pulled you back. Arceus, she brought you back…"

Soon enough, he's passing the doll into my grasp. I can't think of why it's so comforting until it rests within my hands and I press it to my chest with a light squeeze. There's a warmth to it that only I'll ever truly understand, and it's a treasure that only I'll ever know the full value of. Because it means something to me more than it will for anyone. It's something my mother made for me. All of a sudden I'm five years-old again, stricken with a fresh, aching longing. It's all in my head, but I feel it helps me breathe easier.

 _A few days…_ I can hardly believe it, but all the same what Grovyle said about my being that badly hurt makes sense. Somehow, I know I danced with death over the course of that time. With a broken mind and body, it lulled me into a trance that threatened to devour me whole.

"Cresselia and Dusknoir say that it has something with her powers as a Guardian of Light," he continues to explain once he's found the breath to do so. All the while, he still fails to look me in the eyes. "You looked fragile, I… I felt so powerless when Cresselia arrived with the two of you, Lira… You weren't moving. Celebi went into a state of panic, but all the same it seemed like she knew what she was doing—like it came naturally. She _healed_ you… You started writhing and screaming and all any of us could do was hold you down as she worked…"

As impossible as it is, somehow, I think I vaguely remember that—subconsciously anyway. I think I remember the pain, but I don't remember Celebi. I certainly remember the agony I went through during and after our fight with Palkia anyway, and I'm feeling better now. _So Celebi has powers beyond what her Heal Bell is capable of…_ I always knew she was amazing with it, but I guess her abilities hadn't fully activated until now. I wish I could've seen it, but based on my dream alone, it's probably for the best that I wasn't conscious to truly endure whatever I went through. "Where…?"

"Cresselia called everyone in town together to set up a watch in case Darkrai shows again the day you returned. We've been holding nightly meetings since," he answers, and then his gaze drifts to the opposite end of the hay. Casting a glance over my shoulder, I see Ri sleeping deeply next to me and that his leg's been bandaged. "The rest of us have had to take shifts watching after you, but he wouldn't leave your side."

 _Ri, I'm so sorry…_ I wish he hadn't gotten involved in this. As much as I want to share a future with him, at times I still I wonder if that's really what's best. Because he really would be so much safer if he had never met me. Tied together by fate as Guardians of Light or no, I made the _choice_ to stay by his side. And that decision has dragged so much danger with it.

Why did I have to be born this way? Why did any of us? If we were normal people, with normal lives, we could've lived out our days oblivious and happy. The world would be another five's weight to bear, and maybe those five would be stronger and wiser than we could ever hope to be.

But me? I squeeze the doll even more tightly in my grasp. I'm still so much the child I was years ago. With a child's irrationally hopeful mind that everything will turn out alright in the end and a child's ardent desire to be found by those two, special people as they wander aimlessly in the darkness. I'm a dumb, broken kid…

I'm caught off-guard when Grovyle shifts his arms around me, carefully moving me around so that I sit up in his lap with my back against his chest. It's strange—he hasn't done this since I was little—but it isn't unwelcomed. I feel safe in his protective embrace, like this, just as I always have. "Do you remember the first time you got sick when I first took you in?" he asks.

I blink up at him myopically. No, why would I remember that at all? Even if my amnesia still didn't affect so many of my memories, I would've been so young.

Cupping my cheek with one hand, he gently grazes his thumb across my skin to wipe away the gathered droplets that linger there. "It wasn't long after we met. An infection had set in one of your cuts from where you had been trying to escape the Sableye. You had a horrible fever." With that, he nods to the doll in my arms, "And you kept on crying for that toy. You call it 'Nuna.' At the time, I didn't know what to do or what you wanted from me: All I knew was that I was still young myself and had no idea how to care for a human child.

"Eventually, your fever broke, but putting you in a brighter mood was another thing once you realized it was gone. You were a happy child, but you still begged for it. I still didn't know what it was or where to find it. Eventually though, I just made the best guess I could," he sighs, "Even at that age, you had nightmares, so I thought you were trying to say 'Munna.' I nearly lost my head trying to get a vial of Dream Mist that would help you sleep."

Hearing that, I can only stare at him with an expression of bafflement. It's such a minor event compared to everything else that the both of us have gone through, but somehow the thought of him fighting a Munna over something as small as getting me to sleep—when all that would've shut me up was a doll—is impossible to shake out of my mind. And once it's there, I can't help it: I laugh. I'm laughing, covering a hand over my mouth in order to not wake my partner from the unbelievable sounds that bubbles past my lips.

He snickers, but only faintly as a slight flush falls over his features, "You made that same, stupefied look back then, and you laughed at me then too. You might've been a little girl, but I think you at least knew that I was trying, because I never heard a thing from you about 'Nuna' until years later. When you told me she was a doll I felt like such an idiot, but imagine my surprise when I found it while I was looking through your books. I forgot about you taking it with you from the future."

This isn't right, but I can't stop myself from smiling. I shouldn't be able to laugh at a time like this: I should focus on what needs to be done. However, it's impossible to stop. It could be because it feels like it's been so long since I could have an honest laugh or it could be because I'm just so relieved to have the breath in me left to do it. Either way, despite how I fight it, the sound doesn't go unnoticed. Someone begins to come down the steps, and I recognize Celebi's bell-like voice in an instant, "Grovyle? Is something the matter?"

A second later and there she is, fluttering at the entrance. Her eyes peer into the darkness searchingly before they land on us, then widen into almost perfect circles. A sheen glimmer falls over them, and then her mouth twists into a tight-lipped frown. A faint whimper snags in her throat.

And then she dives straight for us at a bullet's pace, "Lira, you're ok!" I barely have time to react as she rams herself into me, her arms enveloping around me in an unrelenting embrace. I wince at the slight ache against my wound, but remain smiling nonetheless. Her tears seep through the bandages as she cradles herself against me, "Don't you _dare_ go giving people scares like that! Grovyle, why didn't you tell anyone that she was awake?! You know how worried we've all been!"

I chuckle at that and a moment after I hear someone else stirring. My partner. Wearily blinking awake, he pushes himself up from the hay and rubs at his face with one hand. When he sees us though, it's as if his entire self is jarred alert: His eyes fly open and he freezes, looking over each of us carefully for all of a few seconds before a relieved grin tugs at his lips. He screams my name and lunges for me. With so many of us clustered around him, Grovyle has to brush me off of his lap to avoid getting crushed—which we all share another round of laughter at.

The situation evolves from there. Someone calls down from the stairwell to see if we're alright and Celebi shouts the news back up at them. We hear some commotion above us and then other people begin flooding in like a roaring tide. Bidoof, Corphfish, and Loudred, then Sunflora and Chimecho shortly followed after by Dusknoir carrying Azalea in his palm. Croagunk appears, and then Spinda, then Ursaring and Iris. Diglett and Dugtrio tunnel their way into our home next, and then Chatot and the Guildmaster come racing down into the chamber. By the time we've greeted any group of them, another trio or pair storms in at a mad dash. They're voices overlap in a tremendous orchestra of chatter up to the point where I doubt any one of us can make sense of what's actually being said. However, it doesn't matter: Their feelings are conveyed easily enough. They were all worried sick about us. They care about us.

Cresselia is one of the last to appear, but unlike the others, she keeps herself back to one of the far walls a respectable distance away—politely watching the scene. I imagine that I have so much to thank her for, and even more to talk with her about, but for the moment she lets things play out as they are.

"Lira! Ri!" a pair of young voices scream over the crowd. My eyes scope around frantically until two blue figures come wriggling through the mass of people with a taller, yellow and brown form behind them. Drowzee. Marill and Azurill. Azurill's ok! Nevermind the way my body groans, I push myself up enough to shamble over to the edge of the hay and swoop them into my arms as they come running. I don't know how Azurill's awake. I don't care how. I'm just glad that the two boys are safe!

"We were so worried!" Marill exclaims in my arms, looking up at me with a gaze mixed with joy and worn sorrow, "Azurill woke up from his nightmare! It's thanks to you two and Miss Cresselia!"

"And Mister Drowzee too!" Azurill chimes in.

When my stare rises to meet the Psychic-types though, he's quick to avoid it. He tries to move back, but the crowd has already clustered into such a mass within the chamber that there's hardly any room to step away. "I didn't do anything much…"

"You stayed to take care of Azurill this whole time…" Marill counters brightly, "Thank you so much!"

I smirk, watching how the former criminal still shows nothing but discomfort at the praise. Still, I also have to give him some credit. We would've dragged him back to town to help, one way or another, but there is nothing here to give him any reason to stay. He chose to. Despite all that's happened and all the distrust, he stayed to watch over these kids. "Thank you, Drowzee," I dip my head at him, "I'm glad we could count on you to look after them."

There's no limit to the shock written on his face when I say that. Really, he looks more as though he's been smacked than thanked. There's nervousness and confliction still, but eventually I watch as something else gives way inside him. A small grin begins to pull at his features, "Well… shucks, it's the least I could do."

We can't let this keep going forever though. I know that, and when I catch Cresselia calm gaze a second time, the thought is only reaffirmed in my mind. "What happened to Palkia?" I ask over the crowd, their voices having quieted down enough for me to speak.

At last, she hovers toward us. "Palkia is immersed within the Spacial Rift," she explains, "where he's attempting to take care of the distortion of space. As the being that governs space itself, he is taking his pride on success. Given that duty, I would not expect to see him manifest here again."

"Well done! How remarkable!" the Guild's second in-command chortles with delight, "It's truly quite marvelous! Marvelous indeed, Cresselia! We'd heard of your power to dispel darkness, but only in rumor. But it was all true! I must say, this is completely marvelous!"

"I understand…" Ri nods alongside me, maintaining a gentle grip around my shoulder and letting me lean against him, "You used your power when we were in Palkia's nightmare. That's how you pulled Palkia and us out of it."

"Indeed, I do have the power to dispel darkness… It lets me dispel nightmares and awaken those in the deepest sleep," she continues, but she seems more dismissive of the fact, as though it's not all that big of a deal to her. "Darkrai stands as the opposite to my being. He has the power to enshroud those who sleep in a nightmare. Ri and Lira, do you recall where you met my impostor? The impostor, that is to say, the first Cresselia you met... Those encounters were always within dreams, weren't they?"

My partner gives himself a minute for the pieces to fall together before answering her with another brisk nod, "That's… That's true!"

Of course, it makes sense now. The first time was in a dream, then later on… That time, I wasn't the one dreaming, so I guess it never occurred to me, but we were in Azurill's nightmare. No matter how you look at it, we were still in a dream. We thought we heard Cresselia's voice before entering Palkia's nightmare, but it was all in our heads. We never met her in real life before now.

"Darkrai has the power to create realistic illusions," she voices with a note of bitterness, "Darkrai was using his illusions to make you think you were seeing me. It was all an elaborate ruse to get at you, children of the light, so that your whole existence could be eliminated."

The crowd erupts to this knowledge, but from some of their reactions I think a few of them have already been told about what happened. There's shock and panic, obviously, but as my gaze falls back on Grovyle I don't think I've ever seen him look so livid. Not even when we were at the Stockade. His expression is still, but there's a fire in his eyes that could rival the fury we witnessed from Palkia.

" _What?!_ "

"To eliminate Lira and Ri… from this world? E-eliminate?! Those two?!"

"Well, it's shocking that he wanted to get rid of you…" Drowzee murmurs, folding his arms over his chest, "but why would Darkrai plot something so complicated? Why go to all the trouble of using a Cresselia impostor? Wouldn't it be faster to confront them directly in battle?"

"I would guess that it was all out of fear of Lira and Ri," she replies.

I've always considered every tactic that Pitch Black used against us to be cowardly, from him torturing us in our dreams to manipulating other people in attacking us, but to hear it put in such a blunt way is another thing. No matter what, Darkrai is still a mythical Pokemon: He's a powerful and terrible being beyond any normal creature's abilities to stand against.

I'm not the only one bewildered by the claim. "Darkrai was afraid of me and Lira?" Ri echoes, giving voice to our shared confusion.

"Yes, because you two saved the world once before." The way she speaks, you'd think that things were simpler than they are. "That was when you prevented the collapse of Temporal Tower. As Guardians of Light, you manifested an unbelievable power that took down Dialga himself. But who was really the one that put the ruin of Temporal Tower in motion? Who was it that really sought to put the planet into paralysis?" Her eyes drift away from us, as she looks out onto the sea, "It was none other than Darkrai."

Again, the room falls into a state of shock. It seems impossible for anyone besides Dialga being capable of manipulating time, or for him to even let anyone _near_ the Tower for them to have done something. After all, one of our biggest struggles in the Resistance was finding a way to slip under Primal Dialga's radar in order for Celebi to do what she had to and for us to come here to the past. "D-Darkrai was behind the crisis at Temporal Tower?!" my partner stammers. I feel his grip around me tighten.

Her eyes narrow at whatever she imagines herself seeing in the distance. "Darkrai intends to enshroud the world in darkness, but he failed to do that with the destruction of Temporal Tower. After that failure, he turned his attention to the distortion of space itself, for if the distortion of space were to grow, Darkrai's power to create nightmares would also grow. What he sought was to envelop all Pokemon in a nightmare. It was all his doing… He was making the distortion of space expand.

"But an ancient, long established power stands in the way of that," her steady gaze fall back on us, "The Guardians of Light. Just as in the days of old, whenever the world's peace is threatened and the balance of nature doomed to spiral into unrelenting chaos, five Guardians are destined to protected them. Chosen by their respective forces, they exist solely to stand against that darkness. That is why you exist. Ri, Lira, your powers have long been awakened, and as of now are nearly strong enough to overwhelm my own. And the others…" She looks about at the five of us, and eventually a faint smirk begins appear, "The remaining three will understand in time. All five of you will only grow stronger. And that terrifies him more than anything."

"Darkrai was doing that?" Ri frowns, lowering his gaze. I seem him hesitate to bring it up, but he does, "Isn't the space distortion expanding because of our existence?"

Can he still believe that? The facts are that Ri never should've traveled into the future and I and the others never should have come here to the past. We changed his future forever and I was never supposed to live in the form of a Pokemon. We've created so many paradoxes as a result of our actions. No matter what though, they were still all lies… right?

"It is true that your existence is causing a space distortion," Cresselia answers us calmly, "but the distortion you cause is _extremely_ small. Furthermore, your distortion of space won't expand on its own."

I feel a weight in my chest I didn't know existed lighten and the next breath I take seems fresher than any that I've had in the longest while. I knew it! I knew something was wrong! I knew we weren't meant to be killed like that!

"Th-then…"

"Yes," her smirk lifts into a warm, reassuring smile, "the expanding distortion of space has nothing to do with you. It was _blamed_ on you, however, so that you would be eliminated. It was all part of Darkrai's elaborate deception."

 _I knew it…_

I sense it. Ri's aura flares out and the intensity of it is enough for a few tears to spring free from my eyes a second time. I see the first droplets fall from his own and his body starts to quiver. The crying won't stop, but he's smiling—he smiles at me. Then, in a shaky breath, he calls my name.

I don't care who's watching. I don't care for the playful teasing that's bound to be tossed our way once this whole mess is behind us. I don't care about any of it, because as far as I'm concerned _this_ is why I exist. So, as if we were purged from this world and all its darkness and attentive stares once more, I lean forward. I press my lips against my partner's own, tasting the bittersweetness of our intertwining tears that lingers over a soft warmth.

At first he deepens it, but then the same form of strangled sobs that gripped me earlier befall him. He has to pull away, but he holds me tightly. He doesn't hurt me, but his fingers latch against my flesh as though he's terrified I'm going to leave him. He leans against my shoulder and I lightly caress the back of his head. "I… I…" he gasps between bouts of tears, "I'm so glad…" And beneath it all is every ounce of pain and fear he's endured for so long now. "We're not… beings that must not exist… It's ok for us to live in this world… We're not unwanted…"

 _Ri…_ Arceus, I love him… I love all that he is, down to the very last essence of his shining spirit. I love his warm eyes. I love his smile. I love his playful and adventurous side, and his compassionate nature. What I love right now though, most of all, is that—despite how broken he's felt for so long—he'll still open his heart to others. I could travel the whole world and all of the realms beyond it and find no other soul as beautiful as his… He's my light, my reason for moving forward in the darkness for so long.

"I don't know what you two went through…" As the tears continue to stream down our faces, we turn our heads to see the Guildmaster make his way toward us, "But… It's just not possible… for either of you, Ri and Lira, to be unwanted in this world." Wigglytuff's expression is mature, and kind, and unlike his usually spastic displays of emotion: It's how we know he means every word. "If either of you went away, Ri and Lira, it would make me sad. I think everyone at the Guild would be sad too, because it makes us so happy that you're both with us! And that's reason enough to keep existing!"

"W-Wigglytuff…" Ri sniffs, wiping at his eyes.

"More than that…" he continues, not missing a beat, "It's not just Ri or Lira… Everyone here, all of the Pokemon and humans in the world, not one of their lives is without meaning! So never think that you're not wanted ever again. Stay full of cheer! Alright?"

"Thank you, Wigglytuff…"

I look at all the smiling, nodding people around us. The ones we've sworn to protect, the ones who've helped us along our journey to become the people we are now, the ones we've shared our days with for so long… All of them. _We're lucky…_ We have all of these wonderful people by our side.

"Hey, hey! But talk about dirty and dishonest!" someone else exclaims heatedly. All eyes snap over to Corphfish where he stands positively fuming, "That Darkrai's a piece of work!"

'He never comes out in the open. He does his nefarious work from the shadows. If you confront him, he will always flee… That is how Darkrai has always done things." Cresselia releases a heavy sigh, "But Darkrai is doing something so unlike him right now… He has invited Ri and Lira to confront him."

I purse my lips. It's true: Darkrai left with those parting words to come to the Dark Crater, where he would be waiting for us. After all the innocent people he's manipulated to try to kill us, I can't think of what his plan is this time.

"Cresselia," the Guildmaster addresses, "you believe that he demanded Ri and Lira come to him for a reason, don't you? Do you believe that it's a trap?"

"Yes, it's a trap. Without a doubt," she answers without hesitating.

"I'm wholeheartedly against it," Dusknoir speaks for the first time, setting Azalea down so that she can crawl over to me and onto my lap. "If anything, we should force him to meet us on _our_ terms. He can try to distort space as much as he likes, but now that Palkia is aware of his betrayal, he'll have a fine time managing it."

Grovyle is the next to speak, "He can't hurt us in our sleep. Not really. If we act in shifts as we've been doing, we can protect each other. Eventually, he'll slip up and we can take him out in greater numbers."

Ri and I, however, share a knowing look. As hateful as he is, Darkrai's also clever and patient enough to wait until the right moment to strike. If he was willing to follow me from the future just to get rid of us, then there are no promises what he can or will do next. Cresselia told us we have unbelievable powers as Guardians of Light, but she also said that they had to get stronger. We just can't protect people like she can. Worse still, because she's protecting us, Darkrai could go after her next. If anything happens to her, we'll be out of options.

Besides, I am _not_ going to sit back and cower behind somebody else in fear of him. Neither of us are. He's hurt too many people, so if it's us he's after, then fine. We'll come to him. "If it's a fight Darkrai wants," I bark, "then it's a fight he'll get! I'm more than eager to deal out a little bit of payback!"

"That's right, it doesn't matter if it's a trap or not!" Ri adds, a determined look overtaking him, "If we don't stop Darkrai, he'll smother the whole world with darkness. He'll find some other way. We have to do something!"

"If it isn't that foolish, childish optimism…" Dusknoir sneers.

"We're going to the Dark Crater!" Ri snaps, surprising everyone. "He's done enough to us! We're not going to sit around and let even more people suffer because of him! We're the Guardians of Light, so that makes it _our_ job to face him!"

It gets so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, but this is one of those jarring moments when you realize exactly why Ri was chosen to lead the Resistance as a Lucario in the Dark Future. Not only does he know exactly what to say and pours all of himself into his words, he also never speaks with such a fire until it's most needed. And when he does, people will listen.

Cresselia's the first to break the moment's silence that follows, "Ok. I respect your decision. I will accompany you. I have long been aware of Darkrai's scheme and I have pursued him a long time to thwart his plan, but every time I caught up to him, he would elude me. This time, he is waiting for us. I would like to settle this once and for all."

"I'll go too!" I look in bewilderment as Drowzee takes a step forward, puffing his chest out as if to convey his own stubbornness.

More voices speak up after him: Chatot, then Bidoof, then the whole of the Guild. Even Azalea rears herself up in my lap confidently. Cresselia grins at them, but her eyes reveal her answer. And there's no way Ri or I would speak against it. "I'm delighted by everyone's offer to help, but I'm afraid that Darkrai would be scared off if too many of us were to go. This is a rare chance to corner him and stop his nefarious scheme. Please be content with just the three of us going."

"Well, don't think you're about to leave _us_ out, lady!" Celebi puffs her cheeks indignantly and zips right in front of the legendary with her hands on her hips. Her wings bat the air furiously as she continues, "No way am I going to sit on the sidelines again! I got enough of that treatment in the Dark Future! And I am _not_ going to just play the healer the next time somebody takes a Spacial Rend to the chest!"

For a second, Grovyle gives me and Ri a sidelong glance. I'm waiting for it: The argument that's supposed to unfold where he tells me that I'm too reckless and impatient and that the best thing we can do is stay here where it's safe. But he doesn't say anything like that. Instead, a smirk lines his mouth and he pushes himself onto his feet. "This is a job for the Guardians of Light, right? Well, Celebi, Dusknoir, and I are Guardians as well. I took Lira in years ago and I swore to protect her ever since, and then I gave my loyalty to Ri as a member of the Resistance. We won't let them walk into this fight alone."

A deep baritone of laughter rolls from Dusknoir's throat, "It seems all of you are as foolishly optimistic as ever! You'd let your hopes run away with your heads if they weren't attached to your shoulders!" He shakes his head, crossing his arms and lowering his gaze to the floor with the reflection of a small, sad smile lost in it. "But then… I suppose that misguided way of thinking is contagious… I won't allow you both to march onward to your deaths alone. Not this time."

I chuckle at that. They'll be no fighting them—any of them. We've all fought too hard to save this world once before: We staked our very lives on protecting it and each other. We're Team Crusade, and we stick together no matter what.

I turn my head to the little Shaymin resting on my arms and find her staring back up at me imploringly. She wants to go, but she can't. She's not ready. I can trust the others to fight with everything they've got, but her… I can't risk it. If anything happens to us, she'll be all that's left of our team. I want her to fly onward toward her own future, and to treasure all that we've discovered before in this beautiful world. Then, just maybe, she'll grow up to be someone who can fight for it. It's just not her time yet.

She must be able to read that from my expression, because she looks away dejectedly before raising her eyes to mine again and clamoring up my chest to nuzzle my cheek with her own. "You come back alive, you hear me? I didn't join your team just so you could dump me off at the Guild."

"It's a promise."

"Don't worry, everyone!" my partner beams at the crowd, "We'll be sure to defeat Darkrai and come back!"


	49. Chapter 49: Torn Reason

" _To the northwest of here, there is a land of volcanic terrain. The Dark Crater is located there. The land's conditions are harsh, so it would be wise of you to pack for a long journey. If there is anything you feel will give you an advantage against Darkrai, no matter how remote the chance, bring it. I can assure you, he will not fight fair. Please tell me when you are ready to leave and I will guide you to the Dark Crater."_

That is what Cresselia had said, but there wasn't a single person that felt Ri and I shouldn't take a few days to ourselves to heal—even with whatever Celebi did to help us. Well, I know bones don't mend in a few days' time, that's for sure. It's rattling how much better I feel then when we fought against Palkia, so different that a part of me can't help but wonder if I dreamed up the pain. A dull aching in my chest is all that lingers.

I can't help but tease Ri about how he's been handling his own injuries. I can't count how many times he's gotten scolded for moving around on his wounded leg when he should've been resting it. He's not the sort of person to get impatient, but he's also not the kind of person who can stay seated for long when there's work to be done.

Still, I guess I'm one to talk: It's not like the waiting hasn't been unbearable for me either. Every delay, every passing hour, feels like an eternity of waiting for a closing I'm not sure of. I can't shake the feeling away that this is all a part of something bigger, longer than before we went to the Hidden Land. I feel like something out of this is coming to an end, but there are so many questions that that I just don't have any answers to. Knowing that, how could I act like I'm just fine with how this is all going to turn out?

All of these thoughts and more weigh on my mind as we pack our bags for the journey. Not one of us is going to be spared a load. It's almost crazy how much we're bringing along—we have enough berries and Heal Seeds to take care of an entire legion—but we really can't afford to be short on anything. Cresselia's right: There's no telling what's in store for us.

"All of you, make sure you at least have a little bit of everything," Grovyle orders as he double checks his own pack, "It's bad enough we'll be splitting ourselves in half: If any one of us aren't fully prepared for the chance we get separated any further, we're as good as dead."

Since Darkrai might run off if we all show up together, Cresselia thought it was best if she, Ri, and myself travel in one group and Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir move in another. We'll enter the Dark Crater first, since we're the ones he'll be expecting and maybe he'll let his guard down more if he thinks we're alone, but—if all goes well—the others are supposed to be right behind us. No one's entirely happy with the set-up, but Ri and I are probably safer with her than anyone else. I just hope the others will be ok, especially Grovyle: The place we're headed isn't exactly going to be fun territory for a Grass-type.

Out of any of us, he's the least happy with the way we're going to be travelling. He argued to have either Dusknoir or himself come with us in our group, but there really is no better way for us to go. Ri and I have to go with Cresselia and it's not safe to stick only two people together.

I examine the Luminous and Petrify orbs in my hands before carefully stowing them away. I doubt we'll need them, but if we do end up having to make a quick retreat, they'll be there. I'd rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them, anyway.

Normally, Ri and I would just share our Treasure Bag, but for this trip we went out of our way to get a second one for him. Even though I'm the one that usually takes care of most of the packing and keeping stock of our things, he doesn't have any trouble with it either. "I just want to know why Darkrai's doing all of this…" he murmurs, "I wanna ask him. I know we might not get much of a chance to, but if we do, I hope Cresselia lets us after he's been captured."

I don't notice it at first, but the atmosphere rapidly begins to change after he's said this. Celebi doesn't seem to notice, but my partner quickly catches on too. I glance over my shoulder to find Dusknoir staring hard at Grovyle in a silent conversation, his gaze betraying the things they've said about us again and again. About our innocence. About how naïve we can be. But I don't understand what's going through their heads this time. There's nothing wrong with what Ri said: We _deserve_ a reason for everything Pitch Black's done to us.

They don't turn their own eyes our way, instead focusing on their packing. "Have either of you considered," Dusknoir asks us carefully, "that this battle may not end as happily as you would hope?"

"So long as we come out of it alive, I think I'll be happy enough," I quip, studying our berry supplies before plucking a few ripe ones from their pile amid the stacks of food and equipment.

"Lira!" Dusknoir snaps, and it's impossible to ignore the severity in his tone. Bringing his voice level once more, he continues, "Cresselia admitted that she has been hunting Darkrai for some while now. I wouldn't dare voice it before, but don't you find it strange that she never informed the other legendaries of his deceit—knowing what he's capable of? It should've been her duty to warn them."

That realization throws me. I don't think Cresselia would betray us or that she's working for Darkrai—she never would have saved us in the first place otherwise—but he has a good point. After everything that's happened, why would she go after him alone? Why would she keep risking letting him escape when someone like Dialga could've easily done something? I mean, Darkrai is clearly powerful enough to stand against them, but she could've said something sooner to help them defend themselves. "I guess…" I mumble, my brows knit with confusion, "but what does that have to do with anything? She's after him too. Whatever her reason, she's helping us now."

With a mild sigh, the Ghost-type shakes his head, "She's helping herself. There's an obvious familiarity to the two: They share a history together. As malevolent as the legendaries are, most of them aren't known for their forgiving natures—particularly when the matter concerns their domains." His stare rises to shift between Ri and myself, "You two witnessed that firsthand. Should they have targeted Darkrai before now, chances are he would've been eliminated already. The only reason for her _not_ to tell them would've been to prevent that."

 _So Cresselia's protecting Darkrai?_ I frown. Why would she? Aren't they opposing forces like Dialga and Palkia are? I mean, I doubt the legendaries and mythicals would be willing to outright slaughter one of their own anyway, so what's the point?

"So? She doesn't want him die," Ri shrugs, "It doesn't mean she's not on our side, just that she's got a good heart."

By now, even Celebi has begun to show a clear discomfort for the conversation and bafflement for why it's even taking place. Nevertheless, she clearly thinks that by now it's gotten private enough for her to pick herself up off the floor and hover toward the stairwell to make sure that nobody's going to overhear us.

"What it means is that she's willing to put his life above others," Dusknoir counters, "He's attempted to kill you both several times already now and the Dark Future he created devastated the planet. She's keeping him safe because she knows the others would destroy him for what's he's done. She's blinded by that affection. That monster is out for blood: Do you really think she can protect you against him?"

"Cresselia is _not_ going to betray us," I insist. There's no doubt in my mind that her value of justice is genuine: She wants to bring Pitch Black in for what he's done.

"She already said we were strong enough to face him," Ri adds, "With her on our side, we can't lose—"

The former cuts my partner off with a note of impatience, "Let me rephrase that: If the worst-case scenario were to happen, do either of you think she could _kill_ Darkrai in order to protect you from him?"

The weight of his words settles heavily over all of us. No one is packing anymore: We're frozen. No, I don't think Cresselia would be capable of doing that. No one should ever be willingly capable of doing that. Why would he even bring it up?

"Could either of you do it? Bring yourselves to take Darkrai's life without hesitating?" Dusknoir presses further, maintaining his hardened gaze, "Because I can assure you that you'll receive no mercy from him, and if Cresselia won't do what needs to be done then your lives may be in more danger in her care than without."

I swallow dryly and an uncertainty I've never known before settles over me. I don't get it. We've been in plenty of situations before now when our lives were on the line and we knew that the people we were fighting had no intention of showing us an ounce of mercy. Somehow though, we always pushed through. If they couldn't be reasoned with, then we knocked them out or brought them to Officer Magnezone. That's how we've always done things. What's so different about this time then when we had to fight others, or even vengeful Pokemon like Primal Dialga? Pitch Black, he… I know that he won't stop trying to hunt us down no matter what, but I don't think I could do that. I hate him, but not enough to take his life.

It's not us: We're not killers. "Then we'll just have to make sure we _don't_ end up in that situation…" is all I say in answer in a faint voice. Inside, however, the question remains. Because a part of me knows that if there really wasn't a choice, if saving any of the people here from him meant doing everything in my power to stop him, then… Would I?

Before Dusknoir can give any criticism to my words, Ri speaks up, "No. No we're not like him." He shakes his head adamantly, as if he can't believe what we're hearing. "We'd never take anyone's life—not even Darkrai's—that isn't who we are!"

"That isn't who _you_ are," Dusknoir counters pointedly in a saddened, low tone, "And that's what we're concerned about. You can't kill him and Cresselia won't kill him, but if he isn't stopped then his attempts on your lives—on _all_ of our lives—will never end. If Grovyle or myself were there—"

"Grovyle?" I interrupt, turning to face my brother-figure. For whatever reason, he won't look back at me. But… He's never taken a life either. I spent years fighting alongside him and I've never known him to fatally hurt someone once. "You've never killed anyone before," I murmur, "Right…?"

Still, he refuses to raise his gaze to mine. Eventually, he mutters a quiet, "No, I haven't," and then begins packing once more. It isn't even a few seconds after this though when he then says in an unwavering voice with little remorse, "But I would. If it meant protecting the world or even just the people in this room, I would without hesitation. Even if it meant that you would never look at me the same again, I would kill anyone that tried to take you from me…"

 _Grovyle…_ Even he agrees with what Dusknoir is saying: Even he says that he'd do it. I don't want to believe that he really means that, but his expression remains sternly the same. He's not just saying things.

"Nobody here has to kill _anyone_ and _nobody_ has to die!" my partner barks fiercely as he pushes himself onto his feet. "Didn't the things Wigglytuff said mean anything? All life has meaning! Killing Darkrai would only show the world that he scared us enough into doing something unforgiveable and make us give up on everything we value!" Celebi's kept herself quiet all the while, and she visibly winces when Ri's eyes fall onto her imploringly, "You don't really think we should kill him either, do you?"

It takes her a moment to answer and she clasps her hands together anxiously before a somber reply passes her lips, "I… I just don't want anything to happen to any of you. I want everyone here to come home alive…"

I frown. By all means, she's just avoiding the question. How are any of us really supposed to answer that though? I'm not even entirely sure how to feel. Because while it's easy to say that we'd never bring ourselves to take a life, it's also such an idealistic claim. I can't pretend to know what's best, or that I wouldn't kill a criminal to save someone that I thought was a better person. I won't act like I can make a choice on who deserves to live or die—because there's no way that I could. Someone that I think deserves a second chance may only end up killing even more people, and someone I think should be put to death might someday want to turn themselves around for the better. How could I make that call?

Ri though, there's nothing that could make him think twice about this. In fact, I don't think that I've ever seen him more heated. He glares back at the Gripper Pokemon, "What if we were still fighting you, Dusknoir?! If you were still after us, would killing you have been the right thing to do?!"

" _Exactly!_ If your older self had thought of that, then maybe he wouldn't have died a needless death by my hand!"

I stiffen, my body giving way to a faint shiver coursing down my spine at the furious exclamation and the unrivaled certainty laced with it. And all at once, the room falls silent. Nobody moves or says a word. Some part of my mind travels back to the Dark Future, and I'm back in that dismal cell in the Stockade. I see Ri, as a Lucario, slumped over in one corner of the space with shackles around his ankles while I'm chained to the other side. I see how beaten and starved and exhausted he is, pushed to the very limits of his strength as he clasps to what little life remains in him. He's broken. He's dying. And all the while, over the unearthly groans of the prison and the maniacal cackle of the Sableye, I hear the baritone laughter of the leader of Primal Dialga's army…

If Dusknoir knows the full effect of his words, he says nothing about it. There's no attempt to reclaim them or try to alter the power they carry. There's no attempt to withdraw or cover up that he really just said we should've killed him for his role in the Dark Future. Instead, only the constant stare that has always looked at us as though he were staring at children remains.

With a heavy breath, he adds in a calmer tone, "This is _life or death_ , Ri. You do what you _must_ in order to live and to keep protecting those around you." He then nods in my direction, "Consider this. You're in the battle against Darkrai and you haven't the energy left to summon an attack. Cresselia is out of the fight. Grovyle, Celebi, and I aren't there. Lira is down. Darkrai goes over to Lira, moving in for the kill, and you realize that you can't win this fight simply by knocking him unconscious. You get one choice: Would you let Lira die by sparing him or would you save her by taking his life? What would be the right thing to do then?"

My partner stares back at the Ghost-type mutely. It isn't a fair question to ask him, using me as an example, but it's an honest one. Nevertheless, it isn't one that I want him to have to answer. If I can help it, he never will. I raise my voice and it shocks me how steady it is, "Enough. No matter what happens, we're going to fight we everything we have. We can manage Darkrai when we're at the Dark Crater, but for now let's focus on actually getting there."

It's not like this is a point we can rest on, but I guess no one wants to say anything more of it either. Silence hangs over us all, the tension so thick that you could cut it with a knife, even as the shuffling of our packs is heard once again.

How in the world did we always manage to escape this before now? After all the times we were willing to stake our own lives to protect what's important to us? Maybe it's because, for us, self-sacrifice comes easy: Taking life… It can break a soul beyond a shadow of recognition.

I can let anyone here suffer from that.


	50. Chapter 50: Smog

It's been two days since we had that talk about Darkrai. And we're here. With Cresselia teleporting us away from the edge of Sharpedo Bluff—with our friends giving us one last goodbye before they and Treasure Town vanished from our sights—we've reached the fiery island set miles upon miles away from the Northeast coastline. The Dark Crater is just ahead.

If the island once had a name, it's been lost to time beyond any record that any of us could hope to find: Not even Cresselia knows what it's called. With lava coursing through every crevice of earth that marks the land; volcanic rock stretching across every surface in rolling waves of charred black; and a rough, craggily, and unforgiving terrain that makes it nearly impossible for anything to grow, this place is just as—if not even more so—uninhabitable than the frozen wastes of Blizzard Island. Only a handful of areas have names that any of us can recognize and the Pokemon here don't seem to understand us well either.

Even the sky is so surreal here. Beyond the thick haze of ash and smoke is a blanket of reddened-gold that seems to cast the land in a permanent, burning afternoon sun. But nothing can compare to the omnipresent caverns that we're about to enter. A flickering glow from small pits of lava driven along the walls act as the sole source of illumination further within the shadowed entryway—a gaping maw of its own design that would seem to devour all who step inside within a raging inferno. It is a gateway that reeks of fire and death.

"So this is the entrance to the Dark Crater…" Ri murmurs, gripping his Relic Fragment in one hand anxiously.

Cresselia nods before craning her neck over her shoulder to look back at our team, "Here, we face Darkrai. There is no telling what he has in store for us. We must proceed with the utmost care!" Turning her gaze back to the cavern, she continues, "We split up as intended. Ri, Lira, and I shall enter first. Celebi, Dusknoir, and Grovyle—you three shall enter after a short wait. If all goes well, we should reach Darkrai before you do, and you'll be able to regroup with us during the conflict."

"How far in do we have to go?" I ask. This looks like the only way in and there only seems to be one, true direction that we can walk in: Down. On top of that meaning we'll have no open avenue for escape, each step is bound to take us closer to some sea of molten rock within its depths. That factor alone could pose just as much a risk as facing Darkrai.

As if reading my thoughts, she offers me a faint grin, "Don't worry: No one here should asphyxiate. Those pockets within the earth you see channel cool air throughout the crater. The heat may feel intense, but it shouldn't kill you unless you were to fall into the lava itself."

I know she's trying to comfort me, but it really doesn't help… I don't plan on getting any closer to the stuff than I have to, but I doubt that it was just a coincidence that Darkrai wanted to fight in a place like this.

Beyond that, it seems that we're ready to get going. Well, as ready as we'll ever be anyway… Celebi's arms encircle my shoulders from behind in a tight embrace and I glance behind me as Grovyle walks over to the Ri and me, patting the both of us on our heads in an affectionate manner. Once Celebi's gone over to hug my partner next, he then pulls me to his chest. I envelop my arms around his waist as he holds me close, a small, more childish part of me almost scared to let him go. "I love you all." They know it, but I feel like I have to say it. I don't want to regret not saying something at a time like this, because I can't pretend that everything is going to be alright.

He squeezes me tighter at that before lowering his head close to my ear. "Remember to keep yourself safe," he whispers, "I would do anything to keep you from having to make a horrible choice just to live, but if we're not there in time, then you have to do everything in your power to do so. Show every ounce of that stubborn will of yours. Remember to fight as hard as you can—no matter what."

 _No matter what…_ As much as he avoids mentioning Cresselia specifically, or using the word 'kill,' the context in plain as day. One of us might have to fatally wound Darkrai if Cresselia can't protect us like she says. The thought alone tightens my stomach into a sickened knot. If that's the price for protecting the people I love and we world we live in though, can it really be avoided? Would sparing someone as terrible as him be the right and moral thing to do? Or would it just be selfish of me to put so many people in danger for the sake of guarding my own set of morals?

Tentatively, I slip my arms away from him. For just a moment longer, Grovyle places his hands at my shoulders and gives them a reassuring squeeze. My eyes catch Dusknoir standing about a meter away from us, keeping his distance as always. With all that's happening now, it feels so strange to look at him and see how far he's come. For the horrible past we share and all of the reservations I've had against him, he's more than proven himself as a part of our team. Our family.

I wave him over, a light smirk on my lips, "Might be the last chance for goodbyes. Aren't you going to say anything?"

The Ghost-type's expression takes on a moment's surprise as he blinks at me, and then he scoffs, "So long as you put your all into this battle, there shouldn't be a need for goodbyes. Get yourselves killed, however, and I _will_ come after you in the next life."

A few of us chuckle at that—the sad, somewhat nervous kind you can't help but make when you step into the abyss knowing that things won't be the same even if you walk out of it. Just like the one we're walking into now. "I love you…" I echo in a softer voice than before, looking at each of them as though possessed by a desire to capture this last instant. And then I force myself to look away.

With that, we begin the long trek to the heart of the Dark Crater.

* * *

The path is relatively straight-forward, with only a few winding passages to risk veering us off course. Typically, when this happens, it isn't overly hard to loop back to where we were to get our bearings again; however, the main issue falls exactly with what I feared. There are no signs of any other exists besides the original way we came from. We're trapped with only one way to go. Cresselia might be able to teleport us out if she has to, but that would only work if she isn't too badly weakened during the fighting.

I'm actually getting worried about her. Even though she's a legendary, even with all of her power, there are certain, subtle things I've started to notice that make me wonder if she's ever even had an honest battle in her life. For every step we make, she's careful almost to an extreme—always peering around silent tunnels, looking back behind us, and moving at a near agonizingly slow pace. She doesn't carry herself like a warrior, but like a dignitary. More noteworthy than anything though is the soft appearance of her build. Even gardeners can have rugged, hardened flesh and muscle thanks to all of the hours they've devoted to their work, and children can be scarred by a small fall. However, there is nothing to impair the Lunar Pokemon's gentle beauty. To put it in another way, she almost looks like she's been pampered throughout her life. I wouldn't doubt it if hunting Pitch Black is the first, major thing she's had to experience.

Dusknoir and Grovyle probably noticed this first, and that could also be partly why they were against us travelling with her. For everything she _might_ be able to do with her abilities, she probably has no experience in combat on top of having no will to fight against Darkrai seriously. We may very well end up being the ones protecting _her_.

I wish there was a way to keep communication with Grovyle and the others… I imagine they're already in by now, if still a good ways behind us. I want to check up on them. Maybe if Ri's or my abilities with aura were stronger, we could do it through some kind of telepathy. I remember, in the Dark Future, Ri had given me some kind of stone so that I could talk to him from a distance with aura, but I can't think of what type of rock it was or how I used it. Would something like that even work with none of the others being aura users themselves?

"We're in really deep now…" Ri sighs, breaking the terse silence we've been maintaining for the longest while. "I wonder if Darkrai will be waiting for us…"

"He better be," I grumble in reply, "If he made us come all the way here, in this sweltering heat, only to have another batch of goons try to do his dirty work, then he _really_ is gonna be in for a fight when we catch him."

"Maybe we're close enough by now that we could try sensing him with our aura," my partner offers.

But Cresselia shakes her head, much to our shock, "I'm afraid that won't work. Not on him…" Her tone is edged with a sense of pity and despair that quietens us both despite our confusion. "In order to prevent the legendaries from discovering his involvement with the collapse of time and space, Darkrai has given himself over to twisted powers. His ability to blend in with shadows is so strong to the point where even the very essence of his life can be masked."

I frown. There's a technique Ri's older self used that could do similarly, but I don't think it would work with legendaries. I don't think that Pitch Black's species could normally do something like that anyway—not to this extreme. What else Cresselia mentioned though is even more disconcerting: What exactly did Darkrai do to himself?

"Usually, his kind and mine weigh each other's strengths and weaknesses evenly. We maintain a certain balance between us," she continues, "but, as you've seen, he's developed unnatural abilities that go beyond that. I fear for him…"

I shoot Ri a knowing look, but he doesn't return it and instead drops his gaze to his earth. "Then we don't have any choice," is all he mutters, "We have to keep going."

Ugh… I think the heat is getting to me a bit. I like warmer temperatures more than not, but this is ridiculous. It nearly sends my head reeling. Wiping away the layer of sweat that's collected on my face, I follow after Cresselia and my partner.

We've gone deep enough now that not only has the heat grown more intense, but—with nowhere else to go—clouds of smog linger within each of the passages. The heavy soot burns my eyes and clings to my fur no matter how much I attempt to brush it off. I'm surprised that it isn't choking any of us, really. It's awful, but not completely intolerable.

Could this be what Pitch Black wanted? To hide himself in the smoke so he can try to catch us off-guard. I wouldn't put it past him.

My head doesn't stop hurting, and it comes to a point where it almost feels as though I'm walking on air, but eventually I see the first signs of our environment changing once again. The path ahead of us grows brighter and the sounds of hissing, bubbling lava reaches my ears. Charging through the smog, I run for it with Cresselia and Ri darting right behind me. This has to be it: The depths of the Dark Crater.

We find ourselves spilled out onto a wide platform of rock bordered by a line of jagged, oddly shaped stalagmites that act as a protective formation to the lake of molten rock far below us. It's close enough though that its blistering warmth and radiating light seers up toward us. Beyond the platform, other levels of both flat and jagged stone raise high above the surface of the lava, but are too far away for any normal creature to jump across.

"It's a dead end," Ri says, taking a long look around with his brows contorted anxiously, "This appears to be the deepest we can go… But where's Darkrai…?"

I draw my hands into fists at my sides. Where is he? For _once_ , I want an honest fight from him. I want him to face us head on without any dirty tricks! At the cost of the element of surprise or no, I raise my voice to a shout, "Pitch Black, _you_ wanted us to come here! We're here now! So come out and face us, you coward!"

I'm shaking, my head is reeling, but above that is a weight settling heavily on my heart that overwhelms the confliction of emotions that have already threatened to drown me. The terror and paranoia that he's inflicted and nearly driven me to madness. The despair he's put Ri and myself through several times over in our dreams. The saddened bewilderment of why he's gone through so much effort to kill us and destroy this world. And now, a burning rage that I can't entirely make sense of as to why it's only hitting me now. It's as though all of the fury that's built up over time only to be subdued by those other, stronger emotions is now trying to take over all of myself now that I have something solid and real to fight back against for all of the turmoil that I have endured.

No matter how often it's happened before, the dark shadow that suddenly washes over the area as they've done in so many of the other fights we've been in is as jarring as always. It comes with a sharp pain hammered into my skull that makes me grimace, and shortly after my enemy's voice falls over us in a proud, irritated sneer:

"You've kept me waiting." In what can barely be called a split second, Pitch Black swiftly manifests himself from the darkness in front of us. The sudden appearance causes us all to jump back a step and my partner screams his name in surprise. All the while, however, the former maintains a grim expression of collectiveness that all the while borders on insanity. The vivid iris that can been seen past his wispy mane is dead, countering the pleased dulcet of his voice as he rumbles in a mocking greeting, "Good of you to come, Ri and Lira."

At this, my partner glowers. His eyes show fear, but also resilience as he demands, "Why do you keep after us?! Y-you don't even know us!" To a villain like Pitch Black, I know something as small as that could never matter if he thought we stood in his way. But I slide closer Ri in support. I want to know too. I want a real answer, heard from his own mouth.

The former chuckles darkly at my partner's outburst, his gaze remaining steadily on us. "I know you all too well," he seems to purr, and when his stares catches mine, I feel my heart leap into my throat, "You especially, Lira. When you came to this world with Grovyle, you were caught up in an accident. Were you not?"

 _Accident…?_ My mind echoes. For a minute, I have no idea what he's talking about. Except for feeling completely drained and my amnesia, I was perfectly fine when Ri found me on the beach. I wasn't hurt anywhere, and I don't remember anything happening before we jumped into the Passage of Time—

Then my eyes widen as my eyes fall to the ground and I take a good, look at myself, because something _did_ happen. I turned into this: A Pokemon. _That's right, Grovyle once explained it… We had an accident travelling back in time._ And I think I remember that too, or at least partially…

 _Brief moments of light, the wind ripping at me in all directions, the sound of thunder clapping, and a voice… Grovyle's. A hand suddenly wraps around my wrist, as I hear him cry, "Are you okay?" But I'm in pain—too much unbearable pain to answer him and a shift in occurring deep within me. I can feel it. I begin to panic as I start to feel myself get torn away from him by the cackling energy of the Passage of Time. His voice gives way to that same dread, "No! Don't let go! Just a little longer… Come on! Hang on!"_

 _Finally through my agony, I am able to scream a few words to him in answer, "I-I can't hold on!" And immeadiately after, before I can say more, my hand slips free and start to fall—carried off somewhere else through time and space as my screams echo around me and I plummet into darkness. The last thing I hear is Grovyle yelling my name…_

I swallow hard as my mind tries to piece everything together all while pieces of that memory still remain lost. As though seeing the recollection playing through my mind, Darkrai's grin widens, "Yes. You and Grovyle had an accident while travelling through time. You became separated as a result of it. You were also transformed from a human into a Pokemon, and you lost your memory as well. Has it not occurred to you… how odd that accident was?"

"How odd?" I whisper, more to myself than to him. No, it hasn't… Grovyle said it was some kind of turbulence we experienced in the Passage of Time, and the journey through one is so chaotic that that's what I've come to terms with it as. Just some freak accident. But… why was I the only one it happened too? Because I was a human? No, I have no reason to believe that. I scowl at myself. I shouldn't even be listening to a person like him! "What does this have to do with anything?!" I bark.

"Yes, this of how odd the accident occurred…" he continues, despite my outrage, "Precisely when you and Grovyle were traveling through time… That fails to strike you as odd?"

Baring my teeth, I remain silent. I can't let him get in my head like this! I came here with every intention to fight him and that's what I plan to do! There's no point in this!

But, to my mild shock, Ri speaks up in my stead, "D-Darkrai… Darkrai, do you know something about it?"

Why does he have to ask that…? Surely he's smart enough to see that Pitch Black is just trying to manipulate us with his sick mind games. It's not like I don't want to know—I want to know more than anything—but I don't need to hear _those_ answers from a liar like him! Ri… Now is not the time for him to put how he feels about me or my choice to stay like this into consideration!

"Naturally," Darkrai answers with a wave of his hand, disregarding my own refusal to speak despite that he keeps his gaze locked with mine, "That very accident was caused by none other than myself."

I feel my body stiffen at the blunt declaration. I can't even begin to process the ease with which he confesses something like that or why he even would. I just know that the fact of hits hard. No doubt, just like he wants it to. I remain numb, but my partner's face—astonishment blanketing it for just a moment—is soon clouded by an anger of his. "What did you say?!" he cries, taking a step forward.

I'm quick to block him with my arm, and Cresselia's steady voice follows my action, "Don't let him sway you. You have to keep your mind clear."

Right. Right… He could just be saying it to try to goad us into attacking first and making a fatal misstep. Even if he isn't, what has this really done to me? I have most of my memories back, I _chose_ to stay this way, I can regain what I have lost… He can't get to me that way. I force myself to take a deep, slow breath. He can't…

"My wish is to engulf this world in darkness," Darkrai begins to explain further with disdainful calm, "I set my sights on Dialga's Temporal Tower because of its tie to time. I sabotaged it, so that it would have eventually led to the destruction of time. And, ultimately, to the Planet's Paralysis." Then, he smile vanishes into an emotionless, flat line, "However, Grovyle and Lira decided to meddle, along with the Resistance that your older counterpart strengthened, Ri. I learned of their impending arrival from the future and attacked them both as they travelled in time, so that I would finally be rid of them." He sighs heavily, "But… an unforeseen even made it impossible to be rid of either of them," and clenches his fist tightly, "It should have been _enough. Especially_ for Grovyle. However…"

A chorus of laughter erupts from his throat and I can feel my heart rapidly beating, threatening to break free out of my chest. I'm shaking now, not of fear but of rage as I imagine this criminal attacking my brother. I can't let him get to me. _I can't lose to his mind games…_

"Do you know how you came to be a Pokemon, Lira?" he asks me, "During the accident, you _shielded_ Grovyle from my attack. You absorbed the brunt of the attack I had intended for him, and it appears that your fierce will to protect your partner became entangled with the many dimensions during your time travel. As a result, you were transformed into a Pokemon."

 _I… I did what?!_ My head won't stop hurting and I don't remember no matter how much I try…

"I assumed what I did was sufficient. I thought I had rendered you incapable of preventing the Planet's Paralysis. I knew Dusknoir would come for Grovyle and none knew of Ri's status as a Guardian of Light. I had hoped to kill you both, but you were enough. _You_ were _always_ the problem. However… I underestimated your resourcefulness."

I feel my partner take one of my trembling hands into his steady grip.

"You met with Ri. And the two of you stopped the destruction of Temporal Tower. Because I'd underestimated and disregarded how much you would meddle. My original plan ended in failure."

"So that's why you decided to get of Lira and Ri first this time…" Cresselia interrupts in a dangerously low voice, "So they wouldn't be an impediment to your scheming! That's why you tried to break their spirit, even going so far as to use an imposter of me!"

Strangely enough, Pitch Black remains silent when she speaks—only staring back at her in answer with those same, dead eyes.

"Even now, you lured us here…" she continues in a voice that betrays a pain and sadness she has only barely conveyed before. "So you could be rid of us all in one fell swoop!"

Again, for a moment longer he is silent, but then he gives her a single, small nod. "Very good. I did intend to do just as you say. But…" and his eyes drift back to me, "I've had a change of heart."

I shuffle back. What is he planning? What does he want from us?! People like him don't change like that—they never do! There's a darkness that surrounds him that I don't need aura to feel. I don't trust him!

"So… Lira… Ri…" he addresses, brushing away Cresselia's presence as if it holds no consequence, "Both of you are brave. You've shown great initiative. You were each chosen for something greater than this world. I've recently thought, 'To be rid of your forever seems like such a tragic waste.' You've both shown so much promise…" Gliding a step forward, he then extends a hand out toward us, "Why not join me?"

In that instant, it feels as if we've been expelled from our reality. We're frozen, and it's just us and that cold gaze and the outstretched hand that fits with it left amid a sea of nothingness. We're silent as—slowly—piece by piece of what he just said begins to gather in our minds to form only one, unbelievable truth.

"What?" my partner asks softly, shaking his head in disbelief with his face contorted in horror at the very suggestion. I don't believe either.

"Why not join me in ruling the world of darkness?" he repeats, the words still so easily rolling off of his tongue. Does he even hear himself?

Cresselia seems more rattled than any of us, and she remains silent—staring at Pitch Black completely mute. Unable to hold my own silence, I shout, "Who do you think we are?! Why would you even want that?!"

"It is entirely possible if we three band together," he answers casually, a sickening grin returning to his features, "You think I can't see into your heart? You may be Guardians of Light, but you are not as innocent as the world believes you to be. You fought my illusions before. And, Lira, you _killed_ your double. So long as you can protect those you care for, you are not above a cruel and gruesome act." He chortles, "You want to kill me right now, don't you? Come now, say it."

Ri's eyes widen and he shoots me a glance. I grit my teeth together. I never talked to him about what happened before his real self showed up to save me. I never wanted to. And I haven't said a word to him about my own confliction on taking a life like Darkrai's. I brace myself, and I quietly admit, "I don't want to kill you." I feel something in me harden, "I don't want your dirty blood touching me! But if you make me, I _will_ end you!"

" _Make you?!_ " he laughs, "No one's making you do anything: There's just you. And as hotheaded as you are, you can still be a creature of common sense. That is why you are willing to kill. And as such…" He shrugs, "would it not make sense to defend your own on a power than you can rely on?"

"What are you—?!"

"Your _own_ power, Lira: Don't play dumb," he cuts me off, "I don't expect you to trust me, but I know you've stopped trusting the mythicals and legendaries that are _supposed_ to protect this world. Long before written history, they destroyed it with their conflicts and now they choose to blame humanity's wrong-doings solely for all that it now suffers. The Guardians of Light were formed because they cannot even protect this world from _themselves_ , and now so many of them have turned against you. To them, you and your companions exist as tools that can readily be disposed of. Why choose to serve them when you can remake the world instead?

"You were born with a duty you never chose and have lost so much because of it. How are you thanked? You are merely allowed to live by their terms. They weigh such a heavy burden on your shoulders that in truth belongs to them. And they do nothing. If the fate of the world is already placed in the hands of the Guardians of Light, should you not rightfully decide how it is dealt with?

"Even if the other Guardians will not stand with you, both of your powers have grown so that, together, we can stand against them all. To recreate a world of darkness that we three already know. The world will beg you to be their light, and we can maintain its order as we see fit. Not the legendaries who would allow it to fall apart time and time again." He motions at us with his fingers beckoningly, "Well? Will you join me?"

Finally, Cresselia snaps out of it. Spinning around to face my partner and me, she fiercely implores, "Oh, Lira! Ri! Don't believe his lies! You were chosen as Guardians for a reason—"

"And yet you can't refer to them as anything more than children of light! Were it not for that, you would not protect them!" Darkrai seethes. "I cannot promise protection after all I have done, but I _can_ promise mutual understanding. This agreement is all I ask for."

I want to say something. I want to refute everything that Darkrai is telling us. But I can't. I'm a Guardian of Light that knows too little beyond my own frustrations against the legendaries—I can't lie and say that I don't have them. All I know is that this is wrong. That dark world of the Planet's Paralysis is something I _never_ want to go back to!

My answer, however, is halted by one thing: My partner keeping his gaze away from us, his lips pursed tightly and his eyes glazed over with confliction and despair. Without a word passing between us, I can read his uncertainty and I draw in a sharp breath. He's faltering.

"Ri! Are you listening?!" The Lunar Pokemon presses, but he just winces at her exclamation.

Eventually though, a bare whisper finally passes from his lips, "Maybe Darkrai… is right."

There's no hiding the distress that courses through both Cresselia and myself from his words. How can he say that?! Darkrai's done nothing but try to hurt us—we can't believe anything he tells us and we can't give into him! We can't let this world fall into his hands! "No, Ri!" Cresselia screams, shaking her head urgently.

"Who are we kidding?" he snaps back at her, "We don't stand a chance against Darkrai anyway! It's pointless to resist! And he's right—the other legendaries haven't done anything to help us! Palkia tried to _destroy_ us! And I don't want to become that! I don't want anyone here to become like that! Joining Darkrai… It may be the best thing to do."

"Ri, why?!" I demand once I've found the voice to. I latch onto his arm, but—without looking at me and a clear expression of self-hatred written on his face—he tears away and runs over to Pitch Black's side.

For once, I am left completely shaken, confused, and alone.

Seeing this, Darkrai chuckles before casting my partner an encouraging glance all while Ri refuses to look anywhere but at his own two feet. "You chose wisely, Ri. Very practical of you." And then he turns to me, a certainty in his gaze that jars me to my core. "Now, Lira. What will you do? When you are one of us…" he nods toward his elemental counterpart, "our first order of business will be Cresselia here. The three of us shall get rid of her together."

"Wh-what did you say?!" She demands, fear and hurt evident in her face. Even she is losing herself. By instinct, I move forward defensively, and all the while I continue to stare at my partner and try to drown out the betrayal that clenches at my heart. He can't be serious…

"Now, Lira," Pitch Black beckons once more in a voice far too familiar to a father's call to a child, "Come, join us here." I hate that voice of us.

"Don't go, Lira!" Cresselia insists, but over her Ri's calls for me as well:

"Please, come here, Lira," he begs of me, his tone aching with concern for me as much as guilt in himself, "If you won't join us… Darkrai surely won't want just me. He'll get rid of me… "

"Then get away from him!" I scream, moving forward another step, "Ri, come back! You _have_ to know what's right! Darkrai would only use us both to destroy this world and everyone in it—don't you understand?!"

"If we have the power to change the world, then maybe we…" he looks away again, "Maybe we can make it something better… We'll do what he says and then we'll make our own world, where we can protect the ones we love. We'll go somewhere where we don't have to be scared anymore—where _you_ don't have to keep pretending that everything's ok when it's not, and you don't have to live hating yourself for trying to do the right thing! We'll be strong enough so we don't have to suffer from that!"

Darkrai's wicked laughter resounds once more at that, as though to applaud my partner's speech and he asks me once more, "Your choice, Lira? Will you join us?"

I don't answer. A strength like that, when I would have to accept doing evil things and creating an evil place just to stop myself from suffering from the evils of others, can't be real strength at all… I have always fought will everything I have following that belief. I fought so hard to rid the world of the Planet's Paralysis, that evil world, only for evil to follow me into this one. And now the purest person I know is telling me that it might be for the best if we were to bring it back. Even now, he encourages with teary eyes and a sad smile, "The world of darkness is going to be wonderful, Lira…."

"You see?" Darkrai adds," Your trusted partner has seen the truth. Come. Will you not rule the world with us? Join us, and you shall reign as a queen in the world of darkness. Now, consider your answer carefully. Join me and Ri! We'll rule the world together!"

I don't want to rule the world: I don't care for something as shallow and hollow as that. A dream like that is a cursed and empty one. I want to see the world, with all of its beautiful and terrible things. And I want to share it with the people I love most. If I turned away now from everything I've done to save this crazy, messed up, wonderful world, then I would be no better than the villains who have fought to destroy it. Even if I were to stand aside and simply do nothing, it would be an unforgiveable act that would only aid my enemy.

Ri's got to know that too… He may have let the Planet's Paralysis continue and have hated Grovyle's and my choice to sacrifice our lives for the future, but that's only because his priority is to protect all life itself. No matter the number, he doesn't believe in sacrificing any person for any goal: Even though more people can survive in an infinitely better world without the Planet's Paralysis, he wouldn't think it was right that everyone in the future would have to die as a result. If Ri ever made a sacrifice of any life, it would be his own.

Ri adamantly believes that the sacrifice of life isn't morally right.

He would refuse to kill even the worst person.

Ri wouldn't side with a person telling us to take the life of another so that we can live. Especially not an innocent life…

"No!" I bark, glaring directly at Pitch Black, "No, I won't! I know Ri and he wouldn't want this! He would _never_ want this! This is all just another lie! This is all a _nightmare!_ "

I feel my head starting to clear. I feel my heart raging inside of my chest. With a fierce cry, I drive myself straight against Pitch Black.

And then the world shatters around me in a sudden, bright light.


	51. Chapter 51: A Struggle for Freedom

There's only one thing that possesses me as I knock Pitch Black back and the light consumes us, cutting into our bodies like fragments of glass: A desperation to break free. I want out to tear myself away from his endless nightmares! I want him out of my head! All of that seems to turn into action as he's shoved away from me and the vivid rays seem to follow, pushing him even further from me. They dissolve the scene before me, taking with them the false reality that he tried to make me believe was actually there.

To my surprise though all that really changes is that the illusion of Ri he created and my headache disappears. The environment stays the same. The overbearing heat stays the same. Darkrai himself stays the same, truly thrown back and sent flying into the stalagmites behind him with a pained yell. I can only blink in amazement at the bare shift, for I'm even still standing on my own two feet with my hands braced out in front of me from where I pushed him away.

I flinch at the sound of two voices calling my name in relief and glance over my shoulder to face both Cresselia and my partner standing behind me. They're here: They're both alright… Do they even know what really happened? Did they see the same things that I did? How did I even lose them—I've been travelling beside them is whole time and we never lost sight of each other.

Also, I know for a fact that I didn't fall asleep or was knocked out at any point, so was I… daydreaming? It's so strange the way what I saw and what I'm seeing now blend together. _So this is Pitch Black's power now…_ I understand it. I nearly forgot, but a new moon was coming when Palkia attacked us: He's strongest at a time like this. Strong enough that he was even able to slip into my mind despite the fact that I've been awake this whole time. He tried to take over me.

And I broke free of him. _I actually did it…_ I was actually able to pull myself free from Darkrai's nightmare…

" _Y-you!_ " a ghoulish voice suddenly cuts through the still air. Unlike the previously smug, rumbling tone he spoke with earlier, the way Darkrai screams at me now is enough to chill someone like a shard of ice carving into their heart. Before I can react—before I can even turn my gaze back around to look at him again—he propels himself at me and slams me into the ground. I'm launched back toward my companions with a gruff yelp and hit the earth hard.

 _I was right! I was being deceived! Darkrai was only showing me an illusion!_ I can't believe how close a call that was. I don't even know where reality ended and the nightmare started. That light though… Was that me? Did _I_ do that? What _was_ that? With a huff, I force myself back onto my feet as Ri rushes to my side to help me up.

" _Blast it!_ I was on the verge of success!" Pitch Black continues to curse in an ear-splitting shriek as he glares daggers down at me, "Is that your answer, Lira?!"

"Of course I'd never join a monster like you!" I bark right back with a low growl resounding from my throat, "And Ri would never consider even saying something like that! Join _you?!_ Not on my life! I won't let you recreate a world of darkness!"

My determined cry seems to rattle him a small degree, because he falls grimly silent. All the while, his hateful glare never leaves my own, stubborn one. He can't prey on my mind anymore—he knows that—and there's no chance I'd willingly go along with his plans. No one here will. And since he thinks we're such a threat, now that everyone knows that he's behind all the chaos with time and space, there's only one thing that can be done. He huffs, uttering a spiteful retort under his breath, "So be it. You've made the wrong choice. Since there's nothing left to say, I will be rid of you now!"

Without warning, the shadows begin to convulse around us a second time—only this round it devours the entire area in an unrelenting shroud of darkness. The burning glow from the lake of molten lake dies and not even the Aura Sphere I quickly summon into my hand is enough to cast the shadows back by more than an arm's length away. I can just make out Cresselia and Ri still standing next to me from the former's natural glow and my partner manifesting his staff into his grip. Shuffling closer, we stand back to back. And we wait.

The stillness is taxing, but it doesn't last long. More nerve-wracking than the possibility of Pitch Black using the cover of darkness to attack us is the chance that he might use this time to make his escape; however, after less than half a minute, the shadows bend and warp back into their natural states and the light of the blazing crater returns. Unlike his past acts of cowardice, in the very least we find that the villain's still there.

What we also find is a miniature army that encompasses the three of us.

"We're surrounded!" my partner shouts with a sharp intake of breath, his gaze flickering around at our sudden opponents. Barely risking letting my own gaze falter away from Darkrai, I count four within my field of sight. I imagine there are others, but I can't sense them. I can't sense any of them. They don't seem to be dead, so my only guess is that Darkrai's extended the ability to hide his own aura to cover theirs as well.

To my left and right, on opposite sides of the Dark-type, I see an Arbok and a Magmar. On opposite sides of them, an Aggron and a Rhyperior. All hulking, powerful behemoths in their own right, and clearly experienced fighters. With these goons under his control, Pitch Black really isn't messing around this time. What I also can't fail to notice is the dead look each of them possesses among their twisted features. Just like the Pokemons' that ambushed me on Blizzard Island and just like Darkrai's own.

"I knew it," Cresselia sneers disdainfully, a note of some secret betrayal hidden in her voice nonetheless, "I figured that you would do something like this!"

"Say what you will," he humphs at her dismissively in turn, "This is where I will be finally rid of you meddlers. I will seize control of the darkened world as its king!" With an upward swing of his hand and the cold gleam of his eyes as searing as a demon's, he commands his puppets, "This is it! _Attack!_ "

Before the Magmar to my right can launch himself at me in a spiral of flames, I swivel my body around to face him and hurdle my Aura Sphere directly at his chest to throw him back. Beyond the corner of my sight, I watch the Lunar Pokemon as she uses Confusion to bat back a Mismagious that attempts to strike her—one of two additional fighters that I didn't notice from earlier, the second being a Magcargo with a heavily scarred shell from previous battles. Including Pitch Black, that makes seven against three then…

The Aggron looms over Cresselia from behind, drawing one of his arms back to use Metal Claw, and I sprint the short distance to block his path. As he swings it down, I readily brace myself for the blow—taking on the hit as I latch onto the limb and use Counter to bend it at the joint and drive my foot against the weaker armored plating along his inner rare arm.

He howls instantly. Good: Maybe with him being both a Rock and Iron-type, we can at least even the playing field a bit by knocking one of these guys out quickly. Still, he's not out of the fight yet. Using Metal Claw again, he swipes at me with his free arm. Quickly I duck under the other and flip myself to face him on the opposite side—bracing myself against his leg with both of my own—still holding onto him with one hand as I drive a swift Force Palm against the thick scales just above his hip. I know even that second attack won't take him down, but it's enough to propel him away from me. I kick off, landing not far from my original position as he stumbles away.

There isn't time for a moment's breath. No sooner have my feet touched the ground, I find myself caught in the crosshairs of a Fire Spin, Magical Leaf, and Rock Blast attack from three of our enemies attacking us at once. I flatten myself to the earth and roll to a safer distance to avoid the flames and Cresselia blocks most of the Magical Leaf with her Aurora Beam, incinerating many of the streaks of colorful light well before they can get near us. However, a few still manage to slice across our flesh in a maelstrom of firepower and the Rhyperior's Rock Blast isn't much better as my partner jumps to avoid them only for them to fly mine and Cresselia's way instead. I push myself back up in time to dodge a misfired boulder only for a large fragment of rock to hit me square in the jaw immeadiately after.

Still caught between the three repeated moves, I hurriedly shuffle back between my companions before raising my arm up to use Vacuum Wave. I can't help but get a grim flashback of when I tried to use it—and failed—in the Spacial Rift, and even my newly healed ribs seem to ache at the memory; however, they don't have the Lord and Master of Space on their side this time!

Sensing the change in air currents, Ri and Cresselia jump close to me for safety. It's a bit different from what I'm used to forming, but I modify the range of the spiraling winds to encircle all three of us within their secure barrier. The wider circumference may be a bit weaker than normal, but not weak enough to let the continued swarm of attacks fly at us: Fire, bits of rock, and shards of light are either swept within the torrent of air or flung back in our opponents' directions. I can't use it to the full power I normally would, but I still am able to concentrate the air enough to whip it around us in a burst of winds that knock them away from us. Darkrai veers back in time to avoid the brunt of the attack, but the others are struck off balance.

Even still, this barely gives any of us an opening to jump into a better position. The Arbok reacts with an instant counterattack of his own, darting forward to encircle us and unleash a hail of clay at us as he uses Mud Bomb. Swinging her body around us, Cresselia protects Ri and I from the majority of the unrelenting wave of sludge. I reach inside my bag and capture the first pip that scrapes against my hand, only giving it long enough a glance to see what it is before sliding around the Psychic-type—close enough to chuck the Totter Seed into the Cobra Pokemon's gaping maw. My partner doesn't waste a second following that: The moment's hesitation that Arbok shows when he falters at the pip striking him from the inside of his mouth is enough for Ri to also throw his body around the legendary with his staff still drawn. With an upward swing, he bats the end of his weapon at the snake's jaw. The latter's head jerks with a furious, anguish hiss seethed through his forcibly clasped fangs. Instinct causes him to swallow, and I can only hope that within the short seconds that it'll take for the seed's effects to wear on him that will have one less enemy to face for a little while. Maybe, in his teetering state, he'll ever do us a favor and attack some of others.

I only have just enough time to see Ri land a second hit against Arbok before a large shadow weaves around Cresselia at a breakneck pace to pummel me back. I slap the ground when I land, throwing my body around to face Darkrai as he follows his Quick Attack with a ferocious Shadow Claw that wraps around his already dagger-like fingers—raking at Cresselia's still recovering form in a wide, brutish slash that sends her rolling before she can act.

"For nearly half a century, I've held myself back," he glowers at me while I quickly spring onto my feet once more, "I couldn't believe it when I discovered that you were one of the Guardians of Light: A sniveling human _child_ was one of the five beings meant to destroy everything I've worked for. I always thought that if I couldn't kill you then subduing you would be enough. Even turning your fears against you should have been enough. I promise you, I won't take that stubborn head of yours lightly this time." Once again, he tears across the distance between us, " _I'll cleave it right off your shoulders instead!"_

I spin away from the oncoming thrust of his attack, twisting my body to the left at the last moment and hitting his spine with a swift Force Palm. It propels him forward and he grunts not so much in pain as frustration before turning to face me again. Despite the type disadvantage, he doesn't look like he's taken all that much damage from the attack: If anything, I feel a sinking feeling in my gut when I look at him only to find an enraged, fiery gaze in his empty eyes. It's not determination so much as madness that fuels him.

A second after, he dissipates into a shadow, his silhouette splitting into three before me manifests himself in a trio of copies all around me in a form of Double Team I've never seen before. I grit my teeth. Since I can't sense him through aura, there's no hope in telling which of them the real one is! "Oh, what?! You don't have enough people to hide behind?!"

He answers me with silence in return, and then all of his copies seem to react at once, charging at me in a burst of speed as they use Quick Attack. I do the same, but not to strike back at any one of them—just to get myself out of their reach by lunging upward. For the brief instant I'm airborne, I search for any clues that could help me tell with is the real Pitch Black—a break in the illusions, or a failure to react to light—but my eyes only widen upon the discovery that not _one_ of them can cast a shadow against the earth. They're all copies!

I realize my error all too late as a searing pain digs a wide gash across my back and I'm flung back to the earth from the true Darkrai's Shadow Claw. There were _four_ of them: He was using the others as cover and darted away before any of them had actually manifested! I'm about to push myself up once more only for a large, armored foot to crash down in front of me, and I look up to find that the Aggron from earlier has recomposed himself from the damage he took earlier.

He's none too happy to see me. Raising his foot again, he tries to use Stomp to bring it down to flatten me with vengeful force—and barely misses as I hurdle my body away in a scrambled rush. The impact of his foot driven into the ground knocks me further from him in the rupture of charred earth that follows, and I spiral nearly a meter from him with flecks of stone biting through my skin and a cloud of ash surrounding me.

Pitch Black doesn't lose the opportunity to come flying at me again either. Caught between him and the dual Iron-type, I stay where I am and fire a quick Aura Sphere to keep the Mythical back. With the speed at which he moves toward me, he doesn't get the chance to change direction and he meets the attack head on—halting him in a burst of energy.

But the Aggron is still there, ready to act in the place of his puppetmaster. As he uses Stomp again, I throw my weight over me to flip away from him and land back on my feet—this time shielding myself with my arm from the booming explosion of rock. He doesn't miss a beat, rearing his fists up in preparation to use Heavy Slam.

He doesn't get the chance. Neither of us are prepared for the sudden, vivid streak of green that cuts between us in a rapid blur of motion. When it first appears, all I can make of it is how it knocks the giant off balance as it sweeps across his chest. Then I notice the precise laceration that now runs along the Aggron's dark grey plating. And then I recognize the warmly familiar figure that now stands protectively before me—his arms still radiating from the power of his Leaf Blade attack.

"Grovyle!" His timing couldn't be any more perfect! As if on cue, I notice two more blurs of motion appear out of the corner of my eye as Dusknoir and Celebi race to join the fight as well. Now we can actually even the playing field! "I was wondering when you guys were planning on showing up!"

Casting me a brief glance over his shoulder, he smirks before returning his focus onto the Aggron. "And you haven't managed to take any of them down yet?" he quips right back, "You must be slipping."

The terrible, furious scream that reaches us is one that could make a banshee's cry seem tame in comparison. With our added numbers, Pitch Black doesn't seem to know who to strike against first, but he soon aims for Dusknoir—who had readily sprinted into a fight with the Mismagious. The former summons a dark energy that chills my heart at the sight of it and fires.

But by now, Cresselia has recovered from the previous attacks and, with now less to worry about from our other opponents, she veers behind the Ghost-type and uses some heightened form of Protect to shield them both with an almost golden barrier of light. "No more, Darkrai!" she shouts, "I won't allow you to thrust any more people into an unending nightmare! You won't destroy another life! This ends here—you have to stop!"

No sooner does she say this, the Magcargo launches a torrent of fiery earth toward her unguarded side. She attempts to swivel her barrier around, but she's not quick enough and takes the brunt of the attack with an agonized grimace. The Magmar blocks my path when I try to run to her, driving a fist downward to use Fire Punch: Hissing from the burning feeling in my arms, I seize the swing—capturing him by the wrist and allowing myself to fall back against the force of the blow without taking the full power behind it. Dragging the Magmar with me, I push my foot against his abdomen and use Circle Throw to toss him—hesitating after I've rolled into a crouched position to see where he's landed just outside of the circle of fighters.

Meanwhile, the Lava Pokemon continues its attack against Cresselia. Tearing apart the harsh, blackened ground surrounding it, he draws them into the air with an almost silvery haze emanating from the pieces of earth as he uses Rock Throw. Hurriedly, I fire an Aura Sphere at him, but it's not fast enough to stop him: Our separate attacks fire almost simultaneously, the orb of blue light colliding against his side while the hail of rocks rain down over the Psychic-type. The barrier from Protect having already dispelled itself, she can only brace herself against them—a painful cry leaving her.

"What can you really do, Cresselia?" Darkrai chortles, "You can barely even defend yourself, much less the Guardians you value so dearly. All these years, you've chased after me and not once have you ever shown the power to do what is necessary. You're nothing more than a weak fool clouded by your own ideals."

With both the Magmargo and Magmar still recovering, I summon another Aura Sphere into the palm of my hand and launch it at Pitch Black before he has the chance to attack her again. Catching sight of it bulleting toward him from the corner of his vision at the last instant, he partially dodges it—nearly half of the sphere's energy throwing him at the shoulder while the rest swiftly rockets into the farthest wall on the opposite side of the crater. "Have you tried looking in a mirror lately?" I snarl at him now that I've got his attention once again, "At least she doesn't hide behind other people to fight her battles for her."

There's no chance for me to react when I'm suddenly and gruffly lifted up from behind as a large hand grabs me by my waist, pinning one of my arms to my side in the process. I steal a glance behind me to look at the Rhyperior's blank face, containing an injured shout as he squeezes me in his grip that soon begins to radiate with a harsh light. And then I'm jarred in a swift, disorienting blur of motion as the Drill Pokemon slams me into a nearby stalagmite while using Hammer Arm. A breathless gasp tears from my lungs on the impact and the power of the move is enough to shatter the protrusion of earth. I'm sent flying amid a pile of rubble, clamping my teeth together to keep myself from uttering a pained groan.

"I don't need to hear such things from a child that let so many people die in her place," Pitch Black counters with a note of pleasure in his words, he and the towering Rock-type both looming over me, "Tell me, Lira: Were all the people sacrificed to keep you alive really worth it? The Pokemon you befriended when you were younger? The rebels that served under you? Your parents? Your partner? Do you really think that you fought all that hard to save Ri's life when he was taken to the Stockades?"

Without warning, a haze of light from Magical Leaf streaks our way. From my position on the ground, I'm low enough that the attack soars right over me; however, both Darkrai and Rhyperior are struck from behind, the latter unable to move out of the way quick enough and taking the heaviest damage. At first, I just think that the Mismagious from earlier misfired, but that's when I see Celebi charging toward us. Unrelentingly, she then uses Ancient Power to hurdle a large, silver ball of light at Darkrai to keep him away from me. Before she can join my side though, the Magmar cuts her off to face against her.

An Aurora Beam tears past me next, striking the Rhyperior in the chest and giving me a few additional seconds to scramble to a safer distance. Cresselia is—if worse for wear—back up again and we share a quick look: Despite her silent reassurances though, I know that she won't be able to hold out for much longer. She has more endurance than I would've figured, but she's also been taking the most damage out of any of us and hasn't seemed to land many hits herself. We haven't even been able to knock out a single enemy yet: Would we even have time to heal her with a Reviver Seed mid-battle if it came to it?

A guttural hiss followed by a cry of surprise carries my sight across the battlefield. Ri's joined Grovyle's side in their fight against the Aggron, but by now the Totter Seed's effect on the Arbok has faded. As badly injured as he is, the snake weaves around the torn apart, ruined scene—and at the same moment the Aggron whips around to use Iron Tail against my partner, batting him to the earth and causing his staff of aura to break apart in a rupture of light upon the fall. The action is more than enough for the Poison-type to dive at Ri from behind, his own tail coiling around my partner like an improvised cage as flecks of red and orange dance within his jaws as he draws his head back and prepares to use Fire Fang.

I'm already running their way to help them, but Grovyle moves to defend him before I can ready a counterattack. Pulling himself away from the Iron-type, he spins on his heal and fires a rapid spray of Bullet Seed at the Arbok. Simultaneously, Ri uses Force Palm against the Cobra Pokemon's unprotected stomach, the intensity of the blast throwing him enough for my partner to slip free—his head held low to avoid the hail of pips.

But the distraction is more than enough to let the Aggron make his next move. His arm cutting through the air, he uses Metal Claw on Grovyle to fling him toward the far boundaries of the area, where the fence of stalagmites are—or rather would have been, had so many of them already been destroyed during the fighting. There's no holding back my scream of panic as he topples over the edge, falling from the precipice toward the lava below.

Ri doesn't hesitate: He swiftly darts around the still attacking pair to grab my brother by the wrist before he can disappear out of reach and into the lake of fire. Using Quick Attack, I close the remaining distance in an urgent burst of speed to propel my body against the Arbok—ricocheting away from him to bullet through the air and fire myself in the same manner at the Iron Armor Pokemon. The unexpected parry keeps them both away from Grovyle and Ri. And when my feet touch ground again, I'm spinning my body around to launch an Aura Sphere at the armored giant to thrust him back further.

"We've got you!" I shout down, hurriedly stepping in place alongside Ri to take the Tree Gecko by the hand and help him back up. There's no measure of small relief that comes with taking his hand in my own, the physical contact a reminder that he's still ok, that I didn't lose him as I imagined I was going to seconds ago. Grovyle's expression shows no fear, but a distinct calm as we both work to pull him up. I can't tell whether he's maintaining that ease for the sake of suppressing his own terror or to keep me from panicking further. Probably both. He quickly helps by bracing himself against the cliff-face, his feet pushing up off of the jagged stones and his free arm moving to clasp onto the edge once he can reach to try to lift himself the rest of the way.

" _How many will perish?"_ a voice seems to ring in my ears. Pitch Black's… _"Who here will die because of you? You didn't answer me before. Could it be because you know you let them die for you and did nothing? That you let Ri suffer and starve in that prison while you took his place?"_

"Stay out of my head!" I bark furiously, earning me a worried look from my partner.

We've barely managed to get Grovyle onto flat ground when Darkrai abruptly manifests from the shadows nearby—using Double Team to split himself in a circle of illusionary copies. Using Bullet Seed once again, Grovyle fires at them in a sweeping motion to shatter a few on one side of us while Ri and I move back-to-back to defend ourselves against the others. In a spiral of energy, Ri uses Reversal to take out another handful of them and I summon a miniature pair of Aura Spheres into my hands to fire them in unison and dissipate another two of the copies. But not one of us manages to land a hit on the real Darkrai, and he only seems to materialize more of his illusions for each one we destroy.

"Which of them would you have me kill first, child?" Pitch Black questions, a vile chuckle leaving him as his words resonate in a chorus from the fakes surrounding us, "Will it be your family or your lover?"

As if the cornered position we're in couldn't get worse, the Aggron and Arbok are fast to recover: The former keeps himself back to avoid Grovyle's continued Bullet Seed, but the latter summons an orb of sludge as he uses Mud Bomb. Ri and I quickly shift positions as I launch another, larger Aura Sphere to counter it in an explosion of dirt and grime while he continues to watch our backs against the swarm.

That's when Darkrai takes the opportunity to make his next move. Apparating from my right, he plows straight for Ri and me. I can see the impending disaster before it happens—this attempt to knock either one of us off of the ledge and into the fiery lake below—yet still I don't think. I immeadiately move into action, knocking Ri out of place and preparing to endure the attack at best.

But there's no way to fend him off easily. There's nothing holding him back as he lashes out at me with all the force of a battering ram. There's no gripping onto the cliff's edge to save myself and no chance to forcing him back to prevent myself from falling. I'm knocked right off my feet and sent airborne.

Before I really know it, I'm tumbling toward the lava with two of the people I care for most screaming my name from above.

There's one blessed miscalculation that Darkrai makes though: He knocks me back too far. So though I have no chance to reach out back to the safety of the cliff, I'm propelled toward one of the tall, opposing, miniature islands of rock—the one I'm thrust toward being a wide strip of land set high above the molten earth. With a jerk of motion, using my aura to help guide my descent, I spiral my body toward the closest ledge—a brassy grunt tearing from my throat as I hit and then skid across the rough patch of soil.

My body stings, but I'm alive. I'm still alive, and so are the others. After taking a brief moment to recompose myself, I shakily raise my upper body to look back up. They see me, and I can feel their relief pouring from them like water, but it's short lived: Soon enough, I see that they're forced to fend themselves against Pitch Black and the pair of Ground-types.

I heave a deep breath. If she even notices where I am amid the chaos, I'm sure that she could teleport me back over there in an instant, but could I jump it? I think I could—this ledge isn't all that far below the other, even as wide as the distance is—with a running start and the use of my aura to give me an additional push: Ri's and my species should be built to handle these kinds of jumps, even in this environment. No matter what though, I have to get back over there.

I was wondering if Pitch Black wanted to isolate me from the others, since he kept tracing my movements around the battlefield, but he doesn't seem interested in me know. I highly doubt he thinks I died and just didn't bother to notice me over here: He just thinks I'm temporarily out of the fight. He doesn't want to kill me, not yet: He's just been playing a twisted game of Meowth-and-Rattata. He's toying with me and he wants me to suffer. He wants me to somehow break.

And the longer I'm over here, the more of a chance he has to do just that—by targeting the others now that I'm too far away to protect them. I begin to push myself up. _I have to get back over there. I have to—_

A sudden, familiar pain cuts its way into my skull and my entire body goes rigid. _No, not now! Why now?!_ But even as much as I fight it, there's no stopping it. My vision begins to fade and pull me even further away from the people I long to stand and fight beside. I try to keep myself conscious, but this time almost seems worse than any of the other experiences I've had with the ability. It's urgent and demanding grasp is unescapable.

Within seconds, my arms give out and I collapse once more as the Dimensional Scream takes over me.


	52. Chapter 52: Prophecy

_It's warm._

 _Not the overbearing kind of heat from the volcanic atmosphere of the Dark Crater, but the gentle warmth of a late summer morning. And the light that brushes over me is not the grueling, scarlet radiance from the molten lake that had only moments ago surrounded me, but is instead the soft glow of a golden sky caressing me from above. I recognize that swirling, endless haze of ochroid clouds: I couldn't erase the vision of them from my mind even if I tried. For whatever reason, I find myself standing at the base of the temple in the Hidden Land, in the courtyard lined by pillars and paved with stone—where we fought Dusknoir._

 _My breath catches in my throat when I see how far from alone I am, but it's not the sheer number of Pokemon that surround me that bothers me: It's who's there. Cresselia and Darkrai, and a few others among each of their species scattered across the wide area; a Jirachi curled laxly on top of a Registeel's head; Groudon, standing amid a clearing of trees in one corner of the clearing; Kyogre, his body held in the air by some shimmering mist on the opposing side; there's an Articuno and a Moltres; Latios and Latias; Girantina; a few Mew; several Celebi—more than I can count; and a number of other Pokemon that I can't recognize. One thing is blatantly clear to me though: They're all Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, each and every one of them guardians or deities in their own right…_

 _Even while knowing that it's all in my head, that this is just a vision, I can't help but feel myself shrink in place with my focus placed in the center of them all. It makes me feel like I'm on trial. What in the world did I just fall into?!_

 _A booming roar calling them all to attention draws my focus up to the crest of the temple, and that is where Dialga appears—hovering down from the air and in the direction of Temporal Tower. This has to be something involving Darkrai, but what is this? What are all of them doing here?! It sends my heart pounding..._

 _Since this isn't in a darkened world and since he's not bound in chains either, I imagine that in the very least this has to be a memory from the past rather than a glance into the future. Nevertheless, that still doesn't give me any idea as to what's happening. Although the others remain silent, their gazes latched upon the Guardian of Time, Dialga says nothing as he inspects each of them among the crowd. Once he's finished, his expression contorts into one of displeasure. "Where's Palkia?" is all he asks in an irritated, dangerously low rumble._

 _Girantina, levitating between him and Kyogre, answers with a deep sigh, "Not coming. You know how his views have altered. To make matters worse—after your last… disagreement—he refuses to come here, to the Hidden Land. He will not attend this with us."_

 _An unsatisfied growl reverberates from the throat of a large, dragon-like Pokemon with scales as lustrous as emeralds as he shakes his head, gnashing his fangs together. "Whatever his feelings may be, it is his duty to be here! Many of us are here and these children are not even ours by obligation to watch after!" Murmurs of agreement follow his words, but most say nothing. The lesser divine beings seem to not dare to, with only a few of them nodding in assent._

" _Nevermind him," another, powerful voice dismisses passively. It's so hard to describe, but there's a sense of wisdom and majesty to that tenor that shakes me to my core. I can't understand it: What does it sound like…? A raging storm? A call to home? Everything I could ever hope to love or fear…? Yet all the same, I am not afraid._

 _My focus drawn away once more beyond my control, I find the catalyst to the disturbance in my soul. As many depictions of him that I have seen in books and murals, none of them prepare me for awe-inspiring sight of Arceus as he levitates before me now—with two legendaries that I have never seen before on either side of him, a deer-like one with multiple antlers that radiate in a parade of vibrant color and one with a crimson aura that seems to pulse throughout the entirety of his body. If I could fall to my knees, I would, but without any form all I can do is gape at the kingly figure that stands before me._

 _There's no end to my amazement when a pair of Mew dart up to him in greeting, and—with a small, tired smile—he gives them each a small nod in turn. "Each of you here shows a great respect for our laws by attending this," he continues, "However, this is a formality, and none are required to be here. What will matter are Palkia's actions in the near future."_

 _By now, my heart feels like it's going to explode… What is this? Why?! What could be so important that all of these legendaries would gather in the same place, when most of them can't even stand each other?!_

 _With a careful bat of her wings, the Moltres lowers herself to the ground, covering her beak as she quips in a quiet, sullen voice, "If I were to give a mortal_ my _blessing, I would not brush them aside so readily. It would be in poor taste."_

 _The Articuno shoots a silencing look her way, but if the Being of Creation noticed what she said, then he doesn't react to it. Instead, he turns his head to face Dialga, "If your Prophets are ready, then let us begin. All of us know why we are here. We have felt a shift in the balance of forces that protect the mortal realm and all connected to it: Faint, quivering ripples that disturb the flow of the world's order, warning us. The time grows near once again for fate to choose another five. The days of which the Guardians of Light shall be needed again draw upon us."_

 _No matter how badly I want the scene before me to grind to a halt, it plays on without a care. With a summoning motion from Temporal Pokemon, three Celebi—each of them seemingly with a unique aura compared to what I've felt around the one I already know so well, with a green complexion to their bodies rather than a spring pink one—gather together before him. The turn to one another for a moment in quiet conversation, and then, isolating themselves in a circle, they hold their hands out together before them. And soon, a ball of light begins to take shape in the center of them._

 _Prophets… So, is this some kind of ritual? Somehow I know this is about us: Dusknoir, Celebi, Grovyle, Ri, and me. I know that this isn't about any other generation of the Guardians of Light, and for whatever reason that leaves me feeling sick to my stomach. And what happens next only leaves me feeling worse._

" _The Gatekeeper… arrives first…" one of them faintly whispers, his eyes kept sealed shut like the others. All of a sudden, the light in their hands begins to bend and morph into something new: Alone amid a jagged landscape, a figure jump down out of nowhere, plucking something from the ground. "Kind, they will not fight if they mustn't… No, a boy… Canine… I feel great power from him… He will be adventurous, and he will be born in the isolated regions…"_

 _I don't know why I'm so relieved with how vague the description is. Of course I know that they're talking about Ri, but there are several different types of Pokemon that could be matched to their words—including bipedal ones. They don't say anymore that fits him, so I guess it'll be the same for all of us. This must also have taken place well before any of us were born, and they can't fully predict who or what we'll be._

 _But to my dismay, I feel that they're far more accurate with what they say next. The light morphs again, this time shifting into a face-like pattern, the same one that wraps around Dusknoir's abdomen. "The Watcher follows…" another one of the three Celebi murmurs, this one also male, "Poor, lost soul, wakes up all alone… No one knows him, no one's there as he is taken from the land that strongly worships Life and Death… He walks between their borders, and can lead lost souls home, but never his own…"_

 _I feel myself grimace. I have no idea what kind of place they're talking about, but I realize that I never bothered to ask where Dusknoir was from… Beyond what happened in the Dark Future and when I first met him in the corrected timeline, I have no idea who he was or where he was before that. Did I never think to ask him? Did he ever even try to talk to us about it…?_

" _The Mentor," the third Celebi continues, this one clearly female. At her words, the light bends into a shape that's so generic that I can hardly tell what it is at first: A crescent with a wide diameter. However, what she then says makes the simple figure easy for me to recognize. "A Grass-type, from… the islands forged by Pokemon and mankind… I feel… So much fear, but so much compassion… He'll be an alert one, protective… He will serve his role well…"_

 _Fear? Now there's a word I can't easily associate with Grovyle. More often than not, he's the one that I turn to as my pillar of strength when I'm seconds away from falling apart. Again though, I find myself more than thankful for the small blessing of a vague description. There are several human regions that live in peace with Pokemon and millions of Grass-types that live within them._

 _The same Celebi resumes talking, "The Healer shall be… Bright, bright and fun-loving, and…" But then the light shifts into a fairy-like form, cradling what I can only guess is supposed to represent a flower. Her eyes fly open and a wide smile of glee is brought to her lips as the others do the same, saying with her in unison before laughing in celebration. "One of our kind!"_

 _A few of the other Time Travel Pokemon react with the same excitement as the three, but some of them remain silent. A few of the others among the mythicals and legendaries cast them amused grins and a few look like they just want the whole situation over with, but most look like they couldn't care less. Dialga's expression remains blank and nonchalant as he soon enough clears his throat to call them back to attention, "Prophets. What of the Child?"_

 _A heavy weight presses over me. The small question is more than enough to make them pause, and they falter as they scramble to recover the dimming light even as it begins to take another shape. And once it's fully formed, I know exactly what it is: A human infant._

" _The Child shall be born last, a daughter of man," the first Celebi answers, "A user of aura descended from the Lucario Kingdom… She shall be forged from fire and brimstone, a fine sword to use against whatever forces may threaten the world now."_

 _The reactions to this prediction are even more mixed than the ones to the last, and the legendaries and mythicals are far more vocal about it. Again, there are many that don't seem to particularly care, but most of the ones that do aren't exactly happy with the news. "Involving a human into our affairs always seems like an extraordinary risk anymore," another Darkrai—distinct from the one that's haunted me for so long by the aged look in his eyes and dull red color around his neck—muses aloud, "but if this is what the powers that be have chosen, then there is little we can say against it."_

" _Humanity itself is a_ scourge _upon the earth!" a behemoth of a legendary—unique from the wings and crest of his head that seem to have been carved from a glacier to his piercing, yellow irises—counters with a barely contained, deafening roar, "Did we not divide them for a reason?! After they have wronged us, used us,_ betrayed _us?! They would destroy this world and one another all for the sake of their own insatiable greed. A human amongst the Guardians of Light may as well be a sign to the world's end!"_

" _Do not forget, Kyurem," the deer-like Pokemon standing next to Arceus raises his voice chidingly—all while maintaining his calm, "There have been many humans amongst the five in the past. The first Child of the Dimensional Scream themselves was a human male. Furthermore, if what the Prophets' say is accurate, then this particular human is also destined to be an Aura Guardian. I feel we may take that as a sign of good fortune."_

 _Despite how many of the legendaries and mythicals seem to agree with the former, a handful of them nod in agreement to those words. "If anything, that should mean the Child will be able to fend for herself well enough until their powers are fully realized," the Moltres adds, "I seem to recall at least three of the Guardians perishing during the Barren Age. With that kind of power, perhaps more of them shall survive this generation."_

" _But are they really all that necessary to begin with?" a towering, obsidian beast of a Pokemon standing at Kyurem's side demands, "Time and time again, they have proven that they are still mortal: Easily broken and corruptible. The eighth generation's Torch nearly decimated one of the ancient cities, and the Glaceon Twins of the thirty-first generation attempted to use their powers to steal from ours. Many of us have our own 'Chosen Ones' who in the very least we may judge on our own accord that they will do what is right and necessary."_

" _Oh, yes. Such as your 'chosen one' who deemed it right and proper to upset the balance by attempting to sever the ties between humans and Pokemon completely, which would have ultimately led to the mass genocide of mankind by his hands," a beautiful, graceful legendary adorned with a coat of snow white feathers counters, much to the former's obvious displeasure._

 _From there on, the argument spirals further and further out of control. There are some that think that the Guardians of Light help keep balance to the world and there are others that are all too obviously against our roles with a passion. There are some that despise humans and others that believe that the existence of mankind is necessary. I wish I could shut them out—all of them—because I can't believe what I'm hearing. Even after all that I've been through it's hard to accept how readily most of them are to dismiss us as just tools meant to be used whenever the world's order falls out of place, like that's the only reason for us to exist. It burns me alive from the inside._

 _Finally though, Arceus speaks once again to silence them all, "Whoever or whatever the Guardians may be I expect each of you to accept them. The powers that were crafted for them to wield were not given lightly, and since their formation we have had no trouble as we did in the days of old. Only under the most grievous of circumstances are any of you to raise a hand against them or interfere with their duties. Is that understood?"_

 _Not a word is said, but a pointed look between the Being of Creation and the legendary called Kyurem doesn't go unnoticed. Arceus is insistent, and the latter has no choice but to buckle under his hardened gaze. He looks away._

" _Well, at least a few of them should be easier to keep an eye on," Rayquaza sighs, relieving part of the tense atmosphere by bringing the subject back around to business, "The Celebi can watch after their own; Aura Guardians among humans are rare and the Lucario Kingdom is small; and it sounds as though the Eye will be a Ghost-type from your lands, Xerneas and Yveltal. In this matter, we may be most fortunate."_

 _More things are discussed after that, but they're all about subjects that I can't even begin to understand, and even if I could wrap my mind around them, the dialogue of the legendaries and mythicals is soon isolated to two of them: The Cresselia and Darkrai I know all too well. I don't know whether or not I should be surprised, but all of the anger, fury and betrayal I've seen from them before is nonexistent here. In fact, they're both more than cordial to each other, or at least Cresselia tries to be. With a faint, almost mischievous smile, she whispers to him, "They can say what they like, but there isn't any one of us who hasn't owed thanks to the children of light at some point or another. Arceus has had his conflicts with humans more times than any of us can count and still he gives his blessing to the Guardians."_

 _Pitch Black tenses at this, curling and uncurling his fists at his sides and not once turning to look her in the eyes. Eventually though, he whispers back, "But are they really as important as all this? This seems to be a lot of pomp for five beings who will not likely even live to see past the age of a century."_

" _I'd like to think it is partly because of their fragility that they better understand the weight of this world and of all the life in it," she answers with a relaxed hum of thought, "Perhaps… even more so than we ever can understand it ourselves at times. I think that, sometimes, that's really all the world needs: People who are willing to love life."_

" _And will you stand by them?"_

" _Of course!" she replies, almost laughing at the question as though he didn't even have to ask it, "Their duties and that of my kind are essentially one in the same, after all. Though I doubt a day will come when I will ever meet them." The Lunar Pokemon's gaze drops to the earth, and her smile turns sad, "There are dark days ahead of us, but even that is just a fleeting moment in time…"_

" _Time, huh?" With her eyes turned away, I watch as his own rise to stare beyond the temple, beyond Dialga, and off in the distance toward Temporal Tower. "There isn't much time left is there…? Sooner or later, the Guardians of Light will arrive, one by one. Though… I can't help but get the strangest feeling that we'll have all the time in the world to concern ourselves with what's to come…"_

 _Her brows contort in bafflement of his words, the haunting statement enough to pull her gaze back up at him once more, "Darkrai…? What are you talking about?"_

 _He brings an elongated finger to his mouth, "Just thinking aloud, Cresselia. I truly wonder if that power of theirs will be enough. Will no one watch after them?"_

" _You know our treaties forbid us from gravelly interfering unless the matter concerns ourselves or our territories," she says, but not without a note of disgruntlement in her tone, "They have each been blessed by the powers that chose them: That should be enough. And they always make a habit of finding themselves with good allies to fight alongside."_

" _I suppose so…" he quietly murmurs, "But, for their sakes, let's just hope it's really enough…"_


	53. Chapter 53: Fears Realized

_My vision doesn't end there as it should. Instead, I find it blurring in a haze of dull colors that sends my head reeling. A wave of undecipherable images seem to cut across time and space to drill into my skull—ancient scripts and murals from long, forgotten places; dark powers that should never have been awakened—and I can only latch onto pieces of them in order to form a single coherent thought: Whatever Pitch Black has done to become whatever he is now, he's delved into forces that should never have been disturbed._

" _I used to be able to feel your presence so easily," I hear Cresselia from the void say in a mournful voice, "but anymore, you could be standing right by my side and it would feel as though I were only standing next to a shadow… Darkrai, what have you done?"_

 _There's a moment's hesitation before his terrifyingly familiar voice replies, "It has always been a talent of my kind's to hide beneath the cover of darkness, both a gift and a curse of ours. It has always allowed us to conduct our work with ease, and helped us to stay hidden from those who would try to do us harm. Nevertheless, time and time again have we been found and chased away._

" _Tell me, Cresselia: What can someone like you, who is so beautiful and so loved, have to fear? Darkness? Betrayal? Hostility?"_

" _What are you talking about…?" she asks him in a cautionate whisper._

" _I know you're fully aware that my powers have grown. Are you afraid of me, Cresselia?" he presses further, and I hear the difficulty he's having at keeping his voice level._

 _There's a moment's pause before she answers, her tone a bit stronger than before after she recomposes herself, "I am afraid of what you're becoming. I'm afraid_ for _you. Please… Whatever you're doing, you can still walk away—!"_

" _As a show of appreciation for your companionship over the years, I have decided to let you do as you will for now," he cuts her off, "Do not take this one act of mercy lightly. I don't expect us to see eye-to-eye the next time we meet."_

" _Darkrai… Come back, Darkrai!"_

 _But I don't know whether or not he answers her. In the next instant, I'm thrust into a world of night blanketed by the pale cover of the moon shining through a partly cloudy sky above—the kind of night on which the glimmer of only a handful of stars can be seen. The Hidden Land is gone, as are the legendaries. The temple and its jungle background have been replaced by the rolling hills of a town set within a mountain landscape like some paradise kept locked away from the world._

 _The first thing I distinctly notice about this place is the architecture: It's clearly human. Most Pokemon settlements have a way of fashioning their homes and businesses in a manner that plays off of their surroundings. Many Pokemon will mimic the structure's design off of themselves, and there are others that carve their homes directly from trees and boulders. Even the structures that do seem to be more human-like are usually rudimentary and archaic, constructed in ways that humans haven't used for hundreds of years. No, these buildings are clearly modern: Even as simple as most of them are in design, they're much like what I saw when I was returned to my own time._

 _Vast fields and farmland surround them, and beyond those forests, and beyond those the nearby, isolating mountains. There are lights much like the ones that shine through the windows that make me think that there are even more buildings scattered in the distance too, but I can't make them out as well. There are roads that split off in each of the cardinal directions, but I'm surprised when I find that—while they're still wide enough for vehicles to travel along—none of them are paved. Unlike on the many streets I walked before alongside other humans in their cities, I don't see a single road that isn't a dirt path._

 _It's not a splendorous place, that's for certain, but there's something about it that makes it feel like home. It's more than just about it having a peaceful atmosphere—there's a feeling here that I can't shake. It takes me a minute to realize it, but this place has a similar, strong aura to Rota's. And that is the final piece of information I need to tell me exactly what the place I'm seeing is: The Lucario Kingdom._

 _The vision ends up carrying me through the winding paths, and soon enough I realize that I'm following a shadow travelling along the ground. Darkrai. By the way he moves, I can assume that this isn't his first time here: He weaves between the buildings as if he's taken this same route several times over. Nothing is all that well lit—there are no street lamps and most people seem to have turned in for the night—so only what illumination seeps through houses can be seen._

 _He doesn't try to enter any of them, but he stops to peer inside each of the homes to briefly examine the people within. It almost seems as though it's a custom of his. The more often he does it, the more I begin to realize his goal: He's looking for something. Someone…_

 _It doesn't fail to slip past my notice that the ones he pays the most attention to are young children. There are many that he doesn't show much interest in and others who's bedroom windows he'll linger at for a little longer—watching them as they sleep and allowing a part of his nightmarish abilities to work. Then, once they begin to squirm with fright or despair, he leaves. He's searching for the final Guardian of Light: I know it. He's searching for me…_

 _With every failed attempt, both his pace and impatience grow. He skims over homes he's likely already visited on previous nights, only bothering to truly check those select few with babies or toddlers—new life. It's no use though: No matter how often he looks, he'll never find me there because that isn't my hometown. I'd never even heard of the place until the Gothorita that Dusknoir had see us mentioned it._

 _Suddenly, there's a noise that reveals not all is as peaceful here as either of us would think. Muffled shouting resounds from one of the homes set a little further than the others amid the cluster, along the outskirts of them and closer to the stretch of fields lined with row upon row of berry bushes. Whether out of curiosity or something else, Darkrai alters his path in the direction of the sound and glances within a living room window._

 _The dim, flickering light of a television is all that reveals the scene playing out before us: Two figures—a man's and a woman's—on their feet as they heatedly argue with one another. They're hardly more than silhouettes, so I can't tell what they look like, but I can read their feelings on their voices and body language well enough. The man is furious: The woman is desperate. Both are resentful and distraught._

"— _so there is_ no _discussing this—she made her choice!" the man screams, throwing down what I think is a stack of papers onto a nearby table, "Do you want to know why she hasn't come back home_ once _after all of these years?! It's because she's traitor and she knows it—!"_

" _She's not a traitor: She's our_ daughter _—our only child and we're losing her because you're too stubborn to set aside your pride and pick up the phone for one minute—!"_

"— _years of training gone to waste, after everything we did to raise her right, only for her to throw away her duty out of some stupid, idealistic—!"_

"— _she wanted to see the world for herself, not be stuck here being told what it's supposed to be like all of her life—!"_

" _Oh, 'stuck here!'_ Stuck here! _Is that what home is now, just some place you're 'stuck' with?! Well, guess what—she_ was _'stuck' with us and with her abilities! It couldn't be changed—that's life! Now, she had a job to do and she threw it away! That's an undeniable fact! Kids are leaving every day, I see that, but at least most of them are still upholding our duties and values! And what does she do?! She abandons everything to just wander the region and—!"_

" _And are you really going to let us lose her because of that?! I don't want to lose my daughter! The reason she never comes back is because_ you hate her _—you treat her like you hate her for leaving—You've made us miss so much of her life, and we're_ never _going to get that back—!"_

"— _but she can call you just fine, can't she?! Why you even talk to her, I'll never know—she can't take a day out of her schedule now to come back here to face us! Probably harder on her now that she's married to some half-brained miner digging circles in an empty ditch in Hoenn—!"_

" _Arceus, Eric, Iliana is pregnant!"_

 _Silence falls at the fierce, tearful outcry of my mother's name. Not just inside the house: For a moment, it seems like the whole world is standing still. I don't know who or what I'm looking at anymore. I don't know how I'm supposed to react to the pair of silhouettes standing in front of me. I'm frozen, and both my heart and mind are numb. And when I can feel again, I find myself caught between two opposing urges: The desire to go to them—even knowing that none of this is real—just to capture a single, solid image of these people into my memory and the desire to retreat as a baffling anger threatens to consume me from the disgust I feel toward them._

 _But, of course, I can't do either. I remain where I am, just as Darkrai does. The man remains silent. The woman gives him a light shrug, choking back a sob. They both seem deflated._

" _She's going to have a baby, Eric. Doesn't that matter?" she asks him in a faint voice, "We're going to be grandparents. Doesn't that matter to you at all…?"_

 _He says nothing. They stare at one another a moment longer. Then, shaking her head, the woman leaves—disappearing somewhere further within the house. A few seconds more pass on in the quiet before the man moves as well, dropping himself into an armchair with his arms resting on his knees and his hands clasped together._

 _This final sight is all I have left before the vision burns away to reveal another. There is no pause as the Lucario Kingdom dissipates to paint another scene right in front of me. As I feel the passing of time with every piece of the first falling away, the surrounding world grows darker. The night deepens…_

 _So much of this explains how Pitch Black was able to find out who I was though. Based on that prophecy I saw, he traced the Lucario Kingdom to my mother and my mother to me. It seems as though it took him years to do it, but he did somehow find me. And I'm the youngest out of any of us, so does that mean he was trying to hunt down Ri, Grovyle, and the others for all that time too?!_

 _In the very least, I know he wasn't able to find Ri at this point or else Ri would never have started travelling with me in the corrected timeline or have risen to become the leader of the Resistance in the Dark Future: Darkrai would've chased him down first otherwise. But Celebi… Those Celebi who made those predictions about us specifically said that one of the five Guardians of Light would be born as one of them. That must've been why there weren't any Celebi let free in the Dark Future and why our Celebi had to escape Primal Dialga! In order to not take any chances, Pitch Black would've had all of them locked away!_

 _I can't guess what he was planning on doing with the rest of us, but it makes sense that he tried to find out who we were before he changed the future by causing time's collapse since he knew we would try to stop him! And all while he was trying to figure out our identities, he could also use that time to build up his own, perverse abilities. Once he was strong enough, he could go back in time before any of us were born to begin the Planet's Paralysis and then hunt for us one-by-one again later along the destroyed timeline under the assurance that we'd be too young or too weak to face him when he did—and with no one to protect us since the other legendaries would've been killed if not chased away as Primal Dialga rose to power. If he hadn't, then he would've faced the risk of all of us already having joined forces and realized what we were capable of when he did begin the Planet's Paralysis. And if he tried to kill us off in childhood one-by-one as we were born, someone would've taken notice and he likely wouldn't have been strong enough to fight them. Going back in time was his only option to avoid both risks._

 _And when we did change things, when we were able to stop his plan by going back into the past as well and setting the Time Gears in place, he knew what happened instantly. Because he's also time-travelled. He picked up on what the Resistance was planning since he knew that was the only option he left us with because he's done it himself. And when we succeeded, he must've first believed that it was Grovyle and I that did it: Ri was still safe, but Darkrai found me and began to torment me not long after I returned to my own time. It wasn't until later that he must've learned exactly who Ri was and decided to come after him too._

 _He plotted this for decades. He's waited decades to get rid of us…_

 _It's so hard for me to compose myself when I find where I am now. It's still night, but rather than being outside like before, I find that I'm in a small room fashioned with wooden walls. A child's room, based on the colorful furnishings, scattered toys, and small bed. There's someone sleeping, a tiny form with brown locks curled-up beneath the green blankets. My head feels like it could split apart at any second, because I think I remember this! I remember this now! No…_

 _A dark shadow crosses the room, creeping along the floor. Pitch Black may not have found me as soon as he had wanted, but he did find me. Manifesting from the darkness along the bedside, he peers down at the small child—a little girl—still fast asleep. She looks so peaceful, hardly making a sound beyond the gentle rhythm of her steady breathing. She is completely unaware of the danger next to her._

 _A quick test. Summoning a fraction of his power, Darkrai casts a single nightmare upon the girl—not a grave one, but one that would make any child cry in the night. But she doesn't. Rather than bolting up in fright, she murmurs in her sleep and her eyes flutters open dreamily at half-mast. She doesn't seem terrified, just disgruntled from being awoken so early._

 _With a tired moan, she pushes herself up—a familiar doll cradled in one arm as she wipes at her eyes with her free hand. Silent, Darkrai waits for her to notice him. She yawns. She kicks at the covers to escape from them. She finishes wiping at her face, blinking wearily as she looks around the room—the only light source then thin sliver of the moon peeking through the window._

 _No, that isn't right. Something isn't right: Her room is a little brighter than it should be. A cerulean glimmer radiates from the edge of her field of vision and she turns her head—startled to find the ghostly figure looming over her._

 _Startled, but not scared. Mutely, she stares at him. He stares back, waiting. Fully alert now, the girl takes in the sight of the Pokemon in front of her: His shadowy physique blending in with the dark background of her room; the white mane rippling through the air on its own accord like a phantom in its own right; and the vivid, cold eye peering down at her from behind his locks. She gapes at him, the doll slipping from her arms._

 _Then the child pushes herself onto her feet in the bed, reaching up toward him. A grin pulls against her lips and she mutters with a quiet giggle, "Pretty…"_

 _Pitch Black falters. He doesn't seem to know how to react to the beaming little girl in front of him nor the outstretched hand that inches closer to him. Just before she can touch a wisp of his mane, he recoils back from her as though she were the plague. He doesn't understand it. He can't make sense of her._

 _When he then stops at just over a meter's distance from where he had been, he watches her carefully as she stares back at him with her hand still held in the air. She looks shocked, but quickly enough her lips purse in a child's frustration. "No fair! I just wanna pet you!" she grumbles, balling her fists together in front of her. With a determined gleam in her eyes, she begins to clumsily get down from the bed to chase after him._

 _There isn't much of anywhere to go within the confined space. His back to the walls, always watching her, Darkrai hovers around the perimeter of the room to keep his distance as she follows him—never truly attempting to escape her, but staying out of her reach. Were the circumstances different, it would almost look like a game. Eventually though, she corners him between the window and a dollhouse. Giggling and out of breath, she reaches up for him a second time._

 _He's too tall for her to reach without the added height of the bed. She settles with clasping a hand around one of the fingers of his larger one, grinning from her success while he's rattled by the foreign touch._

 _No, he doesn't understand her. She's more confusing that any creature he has even encountered…_

 _The creaking of a door, the shuffle of a board, and finally a propelled sphere of light barreling his way: These things follow one by one after each other in the background of the scene as my mother suddenly appears from the hallway—dressed in a set of pajamas with her hair disheveled from sleep. The child's running around at this hour must've woken her up._

 _Even knowing what she is now, I can't contain my shock from watching her with a readied Aura Sphere manifested in the palm of one of her hands. Pitch Black barely misses the first attack, throwing his weight forward and knocking the girl off of her feet as she tumbles back and lands on the rug beneath her—the first orb slamming into the wall and the impact of it jarring a few toys from their shelves._

" _Mommy?!" the little girl cries in confusion while a frightened shout can be heard from some other part of the building follows by the pounding of footsteps racing toward them. Darkrai moves back away from me, his back colliding with the window as he eyes my mother with a harsh glare._

 _Soon enough, my father skids to a halt behind her, "By Kyogre, what is that thing?!" He hurriedly shuffles past her, racing toward the child to scoop her up in his arms._

' _That thing' is already dissipating into a shadow and filtering through the crevice between the glass and wall as he speaks. Pitch Black slinks away from the woodland home, only to scale up the trunk of another, large adjacent tree and watch them from afar as a light is turned on and the mother joins the side of her husband and daughter—checking the latter over for injuries before she heaves a relieved sigh,._

" _What is that thing?!" my father asks once more, the words muffled and only discernable by the repeated movements of his lips. My mother answers him, but here there's no way to tell what's being said._

 _Only one clear statement can be heard in the quiet of the night as Pitch Black continues to look on, watching the child in fascination. "She's not afraid of me…" he whispers._

 _And just like that, I know my fate was sealed._


	54. Chapter 54: Unlocked

_It doesn't end. It refuses to end._

 _I can tell when I'm no longer under the affect by the Dimensional Scream simply from the fact that I don't see or hear Darkrai as I did from following his memories. No, I can tell right away that this is different: That this is mine. The last key to unlock the remaining doors that have shut away the last fragments of my life for so long._

 _There isn't much to say about how I grew up before I met Grovyle in the Dark Future, but there's so much I missed from the life I was supposed to live out if time had never collapsed. Ri was the last Pokemon I would've met as a trainer, and he would've helping me master aura sometime before whenever it was that I woke up in my own time. Before that, I bounced back and forth trying different things, favoring contests with Dusknoir and gym battles with Grovyle. Celebi followed us everywhere, forever a part of the team without ever going into a Pokeball. Dusknoir always teased me, but there were times when he would scare away even other trainers just to look out for us. Grovyle and I were together weeks before I was even allowed to be a trainer because I ran away from the orphanage I was from and he left the side of an abusive trainer as a Treecko: We were two people the world threw away, and so we stayed together._

 _I loved shaved ice and the beach. I did name that doll Nunna. I loved it when my father would let me ride on his Tropius' back and my favorite thing in the world was my mother's cookies, the ones she cut out to look like different Pokemon. I loved our home in the trees. My mother would take me to the market to help her get berries on the weekends. My father would play a game with me in the woods where we'd look for 'buried treasure'—beads, pieces of candy, or small toys every once in a while. And on really special occasions, all three of us would go for a drive far into the countryside, and we'd have a picnic, and see Miltank and Mareep, and climb on rocks…_

 _There had been a festival. My father was tired, but he was determined to take us because he promised he would. We were coming home later than usual, and night fell. That's when it happened._

" _Shiro, are you sure you're ok to drive?"_

 _The little girl sitting in the back of the car—fastened into a booster seat—was already beginning to nod off herself as she watched the whirl of trees as they drove by on a quiet, lonely road, but she heard that much. Her parents were starting to quietly argue with one another: They never fought, so any brief spat caught her attention._

" _We can pull over. You can let me drive: You haven't been sleeping well."_

" _And you have?" Her father sounded a bit irritated, but all the same he was well-meaning. Keeping his eyes on the road—the expanse of pavement ahead of them only lit by the vehicle's headlights—he took for hand off the steering wheel for just a second to give her a small, dismissive wave. "No, no, I can handle it. I'm good. I'll be good once we get home and we'll be there any minute now."_

" _You're exhausted," her mother pressed._

" _We're all exhausted: It's been a long day," he countered in turn._

" _Maybe we should stop somewhere."_

" _We're out in the boondocks: There's nowhere to stop. Illiana, I can handle this," he rocked forward in his seat as if to emphasize his words, "I'm well aware that I'm not a superhuman like you or her, but I think I can manage to drive for the fifteen minutes that it'll take to get us home."_

 _Falling silent, the woman turned her head away—facing the side window. There were times she didn't at all mind the mention of the strange abilities that she shared with her daughter, but this was not one of them. She always fell silent when she didn't want to talk about something, always looking away to some distant place._

 _Whether or not her husband knew the full story, he still sighed, "Sorry, sorry, I'm just… Let's just get home."_

 _The child looked down at the small, rubber toy she had won from a scooping game earlier that evening. It was shaped like some kind of bird-like Pokemon, but she didn't know which. She just thought it was cute and liked how it squeaked. She lightly squeezed it, provoking the faint sound over the subtle whistle of the wind as the vehicle sped on._

 _She knew that her parents weren't really mad at each other: They were just sleepy. That's what they told her and they looked sleepy anyway. They had been ever since the shadow man with the pretty eyes had visited her that night some time ago, and since then they had let her sleep with them in their room. She knew that grown-ups had a later bedtime, but she was sure that it wasn't as late as they stayed up lately._

 _She had tried to give them plushies to sleep with, but they said they didn't need them. Would it help if they read a story? Stories helped her sleep._

" _Shiro!"_

"Arceus!"

 _Suddenly, all the little girl could register was the feeling of her seatbelt biting through her clothes and into her flesh as the tires screeched with the harsh cry of claws raked across a chalkboard and the toy flew from her limp grasp somewhere to the darkened floor below. She had never heard such a horrible sound or knew that the car could buck as it did—vaulting off of the road like an uncontrollable beast. Her stomach lurched as they swerved into the grass, diving toward the nearby forest. Her aura reacted by instinct, encasing her within a protective bubble. Things went flying, and her father cursed again as something struck him at the edge of his brow. Her mother was screaming, but the child was silent, too numb from the chaos that was taking place to even begin to fathom what was happening._

 _And then, in seconds, everything stopped. The car stopped as it slammed into a tree, the airbags exploding outward in an instant upon contact. The belt stopped biting into her flesh as she was first flung forward into its painful grip before being slammed back against the seat. The lose objects stopped flying as they hit against the doors of the vehicle to fall to the floor. The noises stopped following the gut-wrenching crunch of metal. Her father stopped cursing and her mother stopped screaming._

 _And then all was quiet._

 _No matter how much her mind desperately ran to catch up with her, she couldn't begin to process what had just happened. She was hurt: Why was she hurting? Why did the car do that? Why weren't her parents doing anything? Why were flecks of crimson splattered upon the glass in front? She couldn't look away…_

 _Her lower lip began to quiver and her eyes started to water. A faint hiccup caught in her throat and soon enough she began to bawl as the initial numbness faded away only to leave behind the terror in her heart and the gouging pain that ran along her small chest._

 _I want to look away now—I want out of this nightmare. I don't want to see this anymore! I don't want to relive this! I know they're gone! I know—!_

" _Lira…baby… are you ok?"_

 _Those words… those five, simple words… They make my breath hitch. This is not part of the memory. No. No, I don't want to hear it! I want to wake up—I_ have _to wake up! They're dead and I am never going to see them again, so why…? Why is it doing this…? Just stop…_

 _I can beg my mind to stop playing the scene before me as much as I like, but it won't. It won't dim the lights of the vehicle to black. It won't shut up the crying child in the backseat, screaming for her parents._

 _It won't pause the sight of the disheveled figure that starts to push against the front passenger's airbag in order to wriggle herself free just enough to crane her neck around to look back at the little girl. I half expect her to be falling apart like an unearthly creature from a horror story, but only a handful of reddened marks destined to bruise have appeared along her body. Her eyes flickered with the terror of the moment, but rather than glazed over with the emptiness of death they shimmer with concern and are very much filled with life. Really, her hair got the worst of things—fallen from the loose bun she had put it in to form a tangle of wisps._

 _Why does she have to look at me? Why do I have to face her? All the same though, there's something about it that feels right and it tears at me from the inside all the more because of it. I don't understand why this is happening…_

 _The sight of her mother only somewhat calmed the child down, muting her cries to soft whimpers. The danger gone, the barrier of aura around her dispersed. However, following it was the stifled groan of the driver, and as he propped himself back up to reveal that long cut that squirted crimson life down the side of his face and neck, her panic renewed._

" _Did you see that…?"he gasped with a shaky, heavy breath, wiping at his face only to swear the blood further. "Did you see that?!" he repeated, but his wife didn't answer. Instead, she fumbled with her seatbelt and slammed her weight against the car door to try to get out of the vehicle, fighting the airbag all the while. "Iliana, you should stay in the car! We need to call someone!"_

 _She still didn't listen. Eventually, the door flew partially open with a gruesome clunk and she was able to wriggle herself out. Cursing under his breath, the man scrambled to unbuckle himself, squirming to turn his body around to check on their daughter who only cried harder as the blood continued to rain from his forehead. It wasn't until her father's attention shifted away from her—his eyes rising to stare with a paranoid fixation at something behind the vehicle that the girl quietened once more. Sniffling, looking out the side window, she found her mother facing the same way as her father with the same expression on her face._

 _Yeah, all of this has to be wishful thinking. I know what happened—Dialga told me what happened. He said it was an accident…_

 _Jarring herself out of the stunned silence she had fallen into, her mother jogged back the few steps over to the car to open the back door to start unbuckling the girl, uttering words of solace all the while. Despite how much she seemed to be trying to calm her daughter, however, the child noticed a fear she never knew she could find in those normally reassuring eyes. The action that normally would've taken a short minute seemed to drag on forever as she struggled against the seatbelt._

 _No, something isn't right, I think… I remember…_

 _There was no warning: There were only shadows. And mere seconds after, there was a vibrant, icy light of an eye peering at them in the darkness. Now it was the girl's turn to take on a fixated stare, even though she wasn't afraid—she didn't know she should've been afraid. Not until her mother caught her distant glance and realized the true danger hanging over them._

 _She spun on her heel in an instant, summoning a wall of aura before her as an orb with swirling, dim shades of mauve and fuchsia dove at them from the shadows—striking the barrier and exploding upon it like ink splattered upon tile before it writhed into nonexistence. Horrified, the man screamed his wife's name before turning to wrestle with his own door in order to get out and help her however he could._

" _I'd rather witness a glance of the child's strength than yours, Aura Guardian," a familiar voice chuckled with both amusement and resentment—though I'm certain that not a single human in the memory understands what's been said. "Though I have to admit, I'm beginning to find that you're a grave inconvenience to me in your own right."_

 _Even upon revealing himself to the trio, Pitch Black was nearly invisible within the darkness from the cluster of trees that he manifested himself from, all except for the ghostly white veil of his mane and the blisteringly cold radiance of his uncovered eye. It didn't take long for the child to recognize the figure that had appeared in her room on a night that seemed so distant from the one that blanketed over them now, but what she hadn't noticed the first time they met was the cruel disposition he bore._

 _Drawing the energy from the barrier into the palm of her hand, her mother reshaped it into an orb of her own and fired it at him; however, he quickly used Double Team to evade the attack. Lunging forward in a burst of speed, the woman had no choice but to face him head on to keep him from reaching her daughter—charging him and raising her arms in a defensive block. Nevertheless, she underestimated Pitch Black's strength and was easily knocked to the earth with a brutish sling of his claws. He didn't so much as give her a sparing glance as he continued to make a straight line for the girl._

 _There was a sudden flash of red. "Tropius, Leaf Storm! Now!" Her father's Pokemon materialized in a beam of light in front of her—the Pokeball having been thrown over the roof of the car once he had managed to escape it. The child kept her head down as the Grass-type summoned a maelstrom of leaves against Pitch Black. The latter is sent recoiling with a harsh grunt of pain under the severe firepower._

 _Hunkered in the floor of the vehicle, her eyes wandered around the scattered items until they finally landed on the second Pokeball their family had. She had always been told not to play with them—they weren't toys—but she reached for it nonetheless, fiddling with the device to get it to activate as she had seen her parents done. Precious seconds passed until it suddenly expanded in her grip with a quiet, electronic sound and she tossed it as best she could while still on her hands and knees, "Snover, help!"_

 _It didn't go very far, but it did open—as though the Pokemon inside of it had been electrified by the girl's desperate cry. The Ice-type didn't need a moment to assess the situation to know it was a bad one, and didn't hesitate to leap to the family's defense by using Razor Leaf to add to Tropius' attack._

 _The child watched her mother in the background as she pushed herself back onto her feet. There were several things she noticed at once, one of those being her stance. She had always thought her mother was beautiful, confident and gentle, someone like a princess from a fairytale. Her voice was always pleasant and her smile was always kind. But now her mother didn't carry herself like a princess from the stories she read: She carried herself like a knight experienced from the conflicts of war._

 _Another thing was that, although there was no wind, her hair still danced around her shoulders. For a moment, all the girl could think of was how it added to her mother's noble bearing—as if she really were some character from a legend of heroes and magic. Then she crawled forward to get a better view of the scene playing out before her eyes, slipping out of the safety of the vehicle to hide behind the open door._

 _It wasn't long before she found the source of the 'magic' that tugged at her mother's hair, the same thing—she realized—that her parents had been so captivated by only moments ago. She might not have known what it was, but I recognize it immeadiately: A Dimensional Hole, only much more fearsome and unstable than the ones Primal Dialga had crafted to send and retrieve Dusknoir to and from the past. Just standing close to one, nevermind touching it, invites the chance of being dragged inside and launched somewhere else across time and space. This one… It seems like a black hole that could devour anything in its wake._

 _Her mother fired another Aura Sphere, but the combined efforts of hers and the Pokemon could only go so far. Targeted from both the front and back, Darkrai merged with the shadows to slink along the earth and reform directly behind Tropius and Snover—twins of the same dark orb he had fired upon them earlier manifesting into his hands that are both swiftly flung at the two Grass-types._

 _There's no chance to dodge them: They're both struck down immeadiately, overtaken by the shadows that broke free from the orbs and clamored over their bodies. It's not that they seemed to take damage, but they fell to the earth writhing in pain and clearly unconscious. I can only assume that what they were going through had to do with Darkrai's ability to cast nightmares._

 _Right when there's no one to stand between him and the girl, her father veered around the car with a large, broken branch in his grasp—now half-blinded from the scarlet downpour. With a fierce, guttural cry, he lashed out at the Dark-type, giving his daughter just long enough to crawl under the door to get away. Her mother closed in, throwing herself at Pitch Black with a round kick. The little girl stood back, frightened and confused. She looked down at her hands, willing them to draw out the same powers her mother used, but nothing happened. She didn't know how! She snuck back over to the Pokemon, desperately trying to jar them awake, but they wouldn't get up!_

 _Then it happened. As if he was swatting at a pair of insects, Darkrai batted her parents away and then once more unleashed his nightmarish attack. Her father fell first. Her mother tucked and rolled along the earth before she was struck from behind._

 _The child froze, watching on in terror as the same fate the Pokemon suffered overtook them. "…Mommy?" she whispered, urging the strong woman to rise, but she didn't. Neither of them did. "Mommy! Daddy!" Screaming, she ran forward only for the Dark-type to catch her with a blow to the stomach and knock her to the ground._

 _Neither of them were prepared for what happened next. The vortex's power worsened and her parents' bodies were dragged toward the void. Darkrai moved forward, as if debating whether or not to catch them, but stopped, shaking his head as though thinking that they weren't the effort._

 _Paralyzed with pain and fear, all the girl could do was continue to scream for them, "Wake up!_ Wake up! _"_

 _But they didn't. The closer they inched toward the Dimensional Hole, the stronger it's pull on them got until, finally, they were swallowed by it._

 _They were gone._

 _And the child was left alone to face the monster that took them from her. He stared a while longer at the vortex, watching as it reacted to the two humans it had devoured. Then his eyes drifted casually back to her, and she flinched under his piercing gaze. Those eyes that she once thought were so pretty now terrified her. Kicking at the grass and cradling her aching chest, silent tears covering her face, she moved away from him—still aimlessly mouthing for her parents to come back. She lifted her free hand. Just one Aura Sphere. Just one like Mommy's._

 _She couldn't do it._

 _Rather than strike, Pitch Black unexpectedly remained where he was, waiting. But there was nothing for him to brace himself for: She couldn't fight back._

 _And realizing this, he grinned._

" _The Guardians of Light: Five beings blessed by the legendaries with immense power to maintain the world's order," he said, "The Child of the Dimensional Scream: The Chosen Sword." He motioned at her with a faint, mocking wave, "You: A sniveling human. Perhaps I wasted my time tracking you down… Oh, you don't even know what I'm saying to you?" He took a step closer, but as she screamed, he laughed and maintained his distance, "The way things look now, your parents are going to put up a worse fight than you ever could—even if you were to discover what you are. Yes, don't cry now. Once the world resets, you won't even remember this: This will all have been a bad dream._

" _Then the real nightmare begins."_


	55. Chapter 55: Highwire

The child was crying. And now I can't stop.

I remember it now. Darkrai left me after that, like he was satisfied just with all the pain he caused. Another family eventually drove by and stopped to help. When they found me, I was clinging onto Tropius and Snover to try to revive them so we could go after my parents. Of course, they never found any bodies, but the state of the wreckage, the overwhelming weeks that went by without answers, and the sole witness statement—mine, that my parents had been put to sleep and were taken by a monster—was more than enough for them to assume the worst. They pitied me, and they twisted my memory—so malleable because of my age and desperation to make sense of it—to fit the only logic that any sane person could come to terms with. I was too young to raise Pokemon, so they took Snover and Tropius away and I never saw them again. I had no family that anyone could get into contact with, or maybe they just didn't want me, and so I was put in an orphanage.

How could I forget that?! How could I forget how they were taken from me?! Worse still, now I can't stop thinking about what might've _really_ happened to them. Are they actually dead or are they still alive somewhere? Where did they go after they passed through the Dimensional Hole? If they travelled through time, then shouldn't that mean that they knew that the future was changed? And what would that even mean for them?!

And Dialga… Shouldn't Dialga—of all people—have known about what really happened?! _He_ said it was an accident, he—! I swallow hard. No. No, I don't think he lied to me. Not on purpose anyway. He actually seemed sorry about what happened to them. And what reason would he have to lie? He showed me pieces of that flashback: They just weren't put together like they should've been. So that probably means that Dialga didn't really know the truth either, but… Dialga should know just about anything connected to time, especially if someone travels through it.

But then he didn't know about what was actually happening to Temporal Tower either, or that Darkrai was manipulating time for so long. And Darkrai, he—

He did it.

It's all because of him!

I heave a quivering breath as I open my eyes only to see an ocean of black before me. My head is pounding from the extremes of the visions I've just had combined with the memory, even though they can't have happened for any longer than a few seconds in real time. I can hear the sounds of the battle still taking place across the lake of molten rock, but even that is suppressed by the loud turmoil wreaking havoc on my mind and body. Pushing myself up into a crouch, I feel like a worn, broken machine.

I do the only thing I can and give myself a moment to let the feeling pass. I've never had a headache like this one—not even when I first used the Dimensional Scream—but then I've never had any visions for as long or that were as complicated as the ones I just witnessed either. I think that if I tried to stand right now, I'd only end up falling back to the earth anyway. Like all of the other times, I'll just have to wait until I recover.

All this does, however, is leave me to broil with the emotions that have already been ignited. The tears have stopped, but I am still shaking. The pounding in my skull is eventually drowned out by the pounding of my heart. My entire body feels rigid. Gradually, my vision returns only for me to go from seeing black to seeing red. Then, as swiftly as the feelings burning within me had taken light, they all abruptly quieten in order to me to fasten upon one, singular desire.

I am going to destroy him.

I wobble in place as I rise to my feet, shifting one leg back behind me in order to keep myself steady. Even with the unbridled fury that hazes over my vision, my attention locks on the shadowy figure in the distance. The rest of the world and the people in it might as well be just a blur. My senses heighten, and my lips curling into a vicious snarl.

And then I'm racing at a maddened dash straight for him, launching myself into the air once I reach the edge of the rocks. I propel my body further with my aura, up and across the sea of lava back to the fighting—back to _him_ , I am going to destroy _him!_

I scream. The flames raging inside me seem to take on a new life of their own as the distance closes between me and my target. I can feel them channeling themselves from my core, scorching my blood as they travel throughout my body. No sooner has Pitch Black turned his gaze to me, they manifest into something real, contorting around one of my legs in a fiery spiral that cascades a ripple of sparks across my form as I dive toward him.

He can't duck away into the shadows in time and catches the Blaze Kick for the full of its power, thrown back to skid across the dirt as I land—tucking and rolling to continue to sprint after him, unwilling to relent for even a second. With flames still licking up my body, I push myself onto my feet once more as soon as I am able and keep up the attack. Before he can fully recover, pushing himself off the ground, I swing my leg at him a second time like a bludgeon throwing the majority of my weight into it. Again, it knocks him to the earth, but the overshot knocks me off balance as well and I fall after him to land on all fours.

By now, others have begun to realize that I'm back in the fight: The Arbok and the Magmar attempt to close in on me from both sides. Growling in irritation, I reach within the Treasure Bag still fastened around me and toss a few Blast Seeds in an arc at them. I don't care if they actually get hit. I don't care about them at all, but they are _not_ going to stop me! This is my fight—Darkrai is mine!

The small delay is enough for him to move into action. Before I can close in on him a third time, he raises a hand and fires off one of the maddeningly familiar spheres of black, and fuchsia, and violet in my direction. I quickly fire an Aura Sphere along its path and watch as the two explode in a cackling burst of shadow and light that eat away at one another. I feel the power behind them rippling in echoes of the blast that discharge all around us.

He raises himself up, staring in wide-eyed fascination at the mutual destruction of our attacks. I don't know what he was expecting, but there's no small feeling of pleasure I feel from seeing the shock that registers across his features. Only for a brief moment though, and then his eyes narrow at me. "Well, isn't this a sudden change of heart. You're actually trying to fight me seriously," he grimaces, "Yet by the end of it all, we both know exactly what you are, _child_."

"My _name_ is Lira, the daughter of Shiro and Iliana!" I bark. Shifting my feet apart, I level my hands in front of me and begin to summon another Aura Sphere, drawing from the well of my reserves to intensify its power. "An Aura Guardian and a Guardian of Light! I am the Child of the Dimensional Scream!" I see his body go tense as he braces himself to dodge it. I won't let that happen. Thrusting myself forward with Quick Attack, lunging up into the air, I close in on him. "And I remember everything!"

It's obvious that he wasn't expecting me to attack him from a closer range, because he swiftly tries to get out of the way rather than wait for the right moment as he had been. A gutless reaction from a gutless monster. I fire the Aura Sphere in a curved path after him rather than straight on, and with that he can't veer away in time: It strikes true, colliding against his upper arm in an eruption of energy that throws him to one side. And I follow after it, tackling him.

As soon as I've snagged him by the arms, I use Circle Throw—not to toss him away again, but to propel him head first into the earth and flip myself on top of him. Beyond that, all measure of reasoning to the battle is lost amid the flurry of punches against him and my own, blinding rage. We scramble over on another along the ground, each fighting for the advantage until he finally dissipates from my grasp like water as he merges with the shadows only to reappear behind me and knock me back. I'm sent tumbling away, but before I can continue the assault the Aggron from earlier steps in front of me, blocking me off from him.

I growl and charge forward, barreling myself at him with Force Palm right in the center of his chest and climbing up his armored form. I use the same move again , driving my hand against his collar and throwing myself off of him from his backside.

And then I hear him fall. If it weren't for the fact that he'd already taken enough damage, I'm also not holding back. I can still feel myself quivering with rage, and it's as though I can't even truly react to the damage I've taken myself. I don't feel pain and I don't feel tired: I'm _livid._

With an upward sweep of my arm, I next begin to manipulate the air around me. Something feels different about it this time than the other times that I've used Vacuum Wave. The way the winds cut around my body in a savage torrent, they feel sharp enough to carve through metal. It almost scares me and the rapid current makes it hard to breathe, but I continue to draw on that power nonetheless. I am going to _end him!_ And his goons aren't going to stop me! I'll strike them all down if I have to!

There was no play of fate. There were no accidents. The collapse of time and space, all the times that I've been hunted down, the loss of my parents in both the Dark Future and the corrected timeline… It's always been thanks to him! And because of what—because I'm a Guardian of Light?! My parents weren't: They had nothing to do with this! Neither did Marill or Azurill, or Masa, or any of the humans or Pokemon that he's manipulated and thrust into danger just to get rid of us! So long as he can create his world of nightmares, he doesn't care about the lives he ruins! People like him don't deserve mercy, so I'll slaughter him! _I'll kill him for everything he's done!_

The winds grow stronger. My body rises within the center of the torrent of air. And suddenly I feel my aura react to another's. For just a second, my gaze flits away from Darkrai to land on my partner. I find him staring right back at me, his staff in hand and an unconscious Arbok lying beside him. It doesn't look like he's in the best of shape, and he needs to keep his head in the fight, but all the same he's watching me—his eyes glistening with concern. He has to feel it: The intense anger raging within me and my desire to kill.

 _Ri…_ No, I… What am I doing…? Ri, Grovyle, Dusknoir, Celebi, Cresselia… They're all still here. I don't want to end up hurting them! And the other Pokemon here aren't my enemies: They're being manipulated into fighting us, controlled by Darkrai. They don't deserve this either.

There's nothing that can douse the hatred I feel toward Pitch Black. I won't forgive him—I'll _never_ forgive him for as long as I live! But I can never forgive myself either if I end up hurting the people I care about because of that. They're all I have left that he hasn't taken from me. Holding back the anger that threatens to consume me, I force my powers to subdue into something I can actually control. Slowly, the air begins to calm to a point that can warp it as I need to.

I cross my arms over my chest, focusing my attack for a moment longer before I release it—hurling the dagger-like winds forward to lash out at Darkrai. They still cover a wind range, and I feel the air vibrate, but they maintain their path straight for him. My body drops, and I brace myself for the landing only for someone to catch me in their arms before I can touch the ground. We both grunt from the pull of gravity turning against us, but he remains standing and cradles me against him. My partner.

"Leave it to you to catch me with I fall," I tease him in a quiet murmur, offering him a faint smirk as he sets my down onto my feet—one of his hands lingering at my waist. Inside though, I'm relieved. My mind was going to a dangerous place: I was nearly about to lose myself and he pulled me away from the darkness. Here he is, reminding me that I'm not alone and why I'm fighting to begin with. Not in the name of revenge, but for the people that matter to me and this crazy, wonderful world that we live in.

"I was starting to think that Darkrai dragged you into another nightmare," he quips, giving me a soft smile in return. Pulling me against his chest in a one-armed hug, he then adds in a whisper, "I'm glad that you woke up when you did."

I breathe in his scent and it reassures me all the more, calming my unsteady nerves. This isn't just my fight: I have him and everyone else to stand alongside me. The bittersweet moment can only last so long though, and soon enough I'm angling my body to follow Ri's gaze across the battlefield to where our opponent is steadily picking himself up from the attack. My partner keeps his hold of me, and I feel him tense up. "We'll take him down together," I encourage him, "He's weaker now, so I don't think he can handle much more of this. We'll leave his goon squad to the others."

"Right."

"And Ri?" I cast him a sidelong glance, "When we make it back home… You let me try to cook something, alright? I think I want to try to make cookies for everyone."

He blinks at me, stunned by my words and the casual way I say them. But it works. Soon enough, he's laughing at the stark normality of what I just said and he relaxes. More than that though, I'm making a promise for the both of us: That we'll _both_ make it back home this time. "Chimecho would kill me if I let you anywhere _near_ the kitchen alone," he snickers, "You're going to have to let me help you."

"Fine," I answer in mock defeat. With that, the conversation ends as Darkrai lunges straight for us using Quick Attack. We move in sync, Ri letting me go to step forward and take the brunt of the hit before using Counter to slug him in the head with his fist while I twist around them to use Blaze Kick against our opponent's unguarded stomach. Our attacks hit one right after the other, giving him no choice but to move back. I don't fail to notice that he starts to clutch his abdomen, but stops himself short. I also don't fail to notice the dull, reddened mark that now covers it. He's been burned. Good: That should make things easier for us.

Next, he uses Double Team—circling us both as he did before while we get back-to-back. It's as impossible to tell as ever which of them is really him among the copies and none of them remain still. We still can't sense him. I prepare for the unexpected, waiting for his next attack to come from any direction and readying an Aura Sphere into the palm of my hand. Using Copycat, Ri forms his own.

To add to the confusion, the Mismagius that Dusknoir had been fighting is sent flying over us, a Shadow Ball grappling her midsection. We quickly duck, and I half expect the Gripper Pokemon to dart toward us next. However, from the corner of my sight, I can tell that he's more than worse for wear. Dusknoir's powerful, but that Mismagius must've been able to deal as much damage back at him. With the shape he's in and the type-disadvantage against him, he'd probably end up hindering more than anything if he were to join our side. I can see him calculating these odds in his mind before he turns to where Cresselia is and moves to help her fight instead.

That's when Darkrai strikes, lunging at us from the left. My partner is the first to react, firing his Aura Sphere at him. However, to our dismay, Pitch Black's figure breaks apart and the ball of energy simply continues to hurdle toward a fall wall. It's just one of his copies!

I snap my gaze back behind us just in time: The _real_ Darkrai appears from the swarm, a black and fuchsia sphere in his grasp. I see it aimed at my partner and I jump into action, ramming my shoulder against him to knock him out of harm's way and firing my Aura Sphere—but it's too late. Darkrai and I both launch our attacks almost in unison, and this time they graze past each other to strike us both in the chest. I hear Ri shout for me over Darkrai's cry of pain as we're both flung back, two more of his copies breaking apart like clouds of mist before vanishing as I'm knocked through them.

I see them—the shadows clawing away at my body just like they did to my family. I know what happens after this, but I just can't believe it! I can't believe I let this happen! "Lira!" Ri runs after me, but I pull myself away from him. I don't know if it can happen, but I don't want him touching me! I don't want to risk them crawling from my body to his and dragging him down with me. He has to keep fighting!

Except what should happen doesn't. I stay conscious. Ri kneels down, propping me up with one hand and clasping one of my own with the other. And at that moment, we both share a quiet gasp as a soft light begins to emanate from our bodies. I know where both our minds are flashing back to: Back in the Hidden Land, when I disappeared. Neither of us can make sense of it and we each fall silent, our bodies rigid.

It takes me a second longer to realize that the little lights tha encompasses us now are slightly different than the ones we're so afraid of. When I disappeared, they had a golden radiance to them: These are mostly white, with the faintest hint of blue shimmering from them. They aren't as vivid either, and they're stationary where the others had drifted skyward. By now, I notice that even Darkrai is frozen as he too watches them from the short distance away. And he looks terrified.

The reason why is simple. The lights begin to dissolve the shadows that creep around my body. His attack failed. I can't make sense of it. Neither can he. He stares at us both as though he were staring into his own nightmare, then—with an enraged shout—fires his attack at us again.

Something appears in a blur of motion right between us: Cresselia. She hisses against the physical pain of the sphere that rams into her, but is able to brace herself against it. The effects of the move mean nothing to her species' natural defenses and the shadows dissipate immeadiately on contact. "This is the end for you, Darkrai!" Without hesitating, she fires an Aurora Beam straight at him, propelling him back with another agonized bark.

The chaos from the fighting then quietens and the last of the copies fade away. I don't move. I don't breathe. I just wait.

"We… did it…" she gasps, exhausted from the battle. Despite however much pain she must be in though, she cranes her neck around to look at us with a bright smile, " _You_ did it… I knew you could do it. You really are children of light."

 _Children of light… No way…_ As suddenly as they had appeared, the lights that had swarmed us flicker out of existence. My partner holds me close to him, but I remain still. So what were they?

"Just as I thought, your powers are growing," she continues, returning her gaze over toward her elemental opposite, "'So blessed by the legendaries, their powers will not be able to affect the Guardians as other mortals.' So long as you will it, Darkrai cannot envelope either of you within another nightmare. Not now."

So that's what happened. And before, when Darkrai tried to trick me, I broke away from that too… _No more nightmares…_ I'm frozen still by the thought. After all this time, it sounds too good to be true: An impossible, unrealistic wish. It's been so long that I can't remember a time when I didn't get them. To hear that I'm suddenly free from them, just like that, I can't…

Ri helps me onto my feet and I shake my head. Right: One thing at a time. Catching my breath, I look around us to see how the rest of our team is doing. Over on one side of the space, Celebi is feeding an Oran berry to Grovyle where he sits leaning against a stalagmite. On the other side, Dusknoir is panting over the fallen Rhyperior. Besides Darkrai—who's shaking, keeping his body propped up by his arms on the ground—all of our opponents have been knocked unconscious.

"It's over, Darkrai," the Lunar Pokemon says sternly, hovering closer to him, "Time to turn yourself in and face what you've done."

For the longest while, all he does is stare back at her mutely. It's like he can't even process what's happening. Then he chuckles—a bleak, empty noise that sends a shiver down my spine. "C-Cresselia… Don't you remember…?" he grunts, hefting himself up, "I said you cannot catch me!"

My eyes widen. I don't need the Dimensional Scream to tell me what his plan is. _No!_ But no sooner do I make a break for him, the air around us begin to distort. Across the distance, Grovyle has to latch onto the closest stalagmite to avoid being pulled by the winds—ensnaring his leg between the rocks and catching Celebi by the waist as she screams, holding her protectively against him.

Not far from where they stand, directly behind Pitch Black, a vortex begins to form. The same kind that Dusknoir had used to get to the past. The same kind that swallowed my parents. Ri dives forward to catch me, pulling me back by the wrist as soon as it appears, "Hey! What is that?!"

"It's a Dimensional Hole!" I scream, "Let me go—he's going to get away!" I can't let that happen: Not again! But the more I fight him, the stronger my partner's hold becomes and he adjusts his footing to better keep me back. Even Cresselia blocks my way. By far, this one is the most unstable, and it takes every effort of willpower for Grovyle to keep himself and Celebi from being dragged into it. We could easily get dragged into it, but we've travelled through time before and we can do it again! But If we lose Darkrai this time, there's no telling what he'll do next!

He just laughs, a look of triumph overshadowing his features as he jeers, "This Dimensional Hole may take me to the future… or the past…" He gives a mocking, nonchalant shrug, "Even I don't know where it will lead me, but I've failed only in this time. I will simply plunge the world into darkness in another."

"S-stop! Darkrai!" My partner shouts after him all while trying to maintain his grip on me. I'm fighting him like a wild animal now! I can't! I can't let him do this!

"You're not getting away!" Cresselia shouts, giving chase after him.

Even I know she won't catch him in time. Even if she hadn't overexerted herself in the fight, I doubt she have been able to. And she doesn't. Darkrai easily beats her to the Dimensional Hole—even avoiding a spray of Bullet Seed from Grovyle's attempt to stop him.

"Too bad for you!" he shouts, "I can slip away through time with just one step. You cannot catch me, so goodbye to you!" He pauses only once with his back to the vortex, swept up in his own maniacal laughter all the while, "Well, how do you like that?! Finally, in the end… It still ends in my ultimate victory!"

I struggle from my Ri's grasp at last, moving forward and raising my hand to fire an Aura Sphere at Darkrai before he can vanish across time and space, but it misses and is just devoured by the vortex—just like everything else! Whether he goes into the future or the past, whether or not he even stays within our lifetimes, we can't let him do this!

" _I won't allow that!"_

Startled, I hesitate to go further. I've never heard anything like that give life to my thoughts before: A voice that booms like thunder coming from nowhere. I don't even realize that it's real until I notice Darkrai's smug expression morph into one of confusion.

Then, as if things couldn't get away worse, the entire area begins to quake. Stalagmites and boulders that were fractured in the battle are jarred to the extreme that they break apart completely and the rest of us fight to remain standing. Following that, a blinding light soon covers the entire area. I close my eyes too late, feeling them sting as though I stared right into a Luminous Orb's blinding explosion.

Hear something large slams into the ground at the left, the additional quake from it strong enough for me to momentarily lose my balance. Fortunately though, it seems like the last of them. What bothers me next is a sickening feeling that I've been through this before. It doesn't take long for me to pinpoint why that is, but there's nothing I can do about it either.

I think everyone is doomed to meet some people in this world that they never think they'll see again and some people they'll never _want_ to see again. The towering legendary that has just appeared was slated on _both_ of those lists of mine. Even now, I inwardly recoil from the terrible sight of him looming over us. This time though, all the overwhelming fury that blankets his expression is directed at someone else: Darkrai. The latter visibly seems to shrink under that fiery gaze.

"P-Palkia!" Ri stammers, rushing to my side once again. However, it's not us he's after. Not now. Now, well… I can see why Cresselia was so anxious about what would happen to her elemental counterpart if we didn't get to him first…

"You will pay a grave price for expanding the distortion of space, Darkrai!" Palkia bellows. Spotting the large pearls on his shoulders beginning to radiate with a pinkish light, my ribs seem to twinge at the memory of our battle with him. However, rather than using Spatial Rend, he rears his head back as flecks of energy lick at his fangs. "This is a strike for justice! Take this!"

Then everything begins to quake again—a hundred times worse than before. Palkia begins to charge that energy gathering before his maw in a vivid, deadly lightshow. I release a panicked shout as Ri and I move to cling to each other, dropping to our knees and holding one another protectively. Having no other choice, Grovyle throws himself and Celebi across the distance to escape Palkia's range. Just what in Arceus' name does that moron of a legendary think he's doing?! He's going to bring the entirety of the Dark Crater down on top of us! Fear sweeping over him like a tidal wave, Pitch Black launches himself into the Dimensional Hole.

" _There is no escape!"_ The Spatial Pokemon roars. And not a second after he releases the build-up of energy, firing it straight into the vortex. I can't tell what kind of move it is. An Aura Sphere? Hyper Beam? Something else entirely? All I know is that it comes with a devastating power that could put anything I could hope to master to shame.

I flinch as, somehow, we hear Darkrai's scream of agony from within the vortex. He's been it! But more rattling than that is what happens to the Dimensional Hole itself. The unstable winds that tore at our forms cease immeadiately and the portal itself fades into a dismal haze of greys. Then, like glass, it shatters. It breaks apart into a million pieces that all vanish without a trace before they can even touch the ground.

"Darkrai…" Cresselia balks, her gaze betraying a mix of emotions ranging from relief, to bafflement, to grief. And despite it all, her pained-stricken features are enough for me to feel a twinge of sympathy for me as she laments in a horrified cry, "Darkrai was still inside of it!"

"I heard Darkrai scream…" my partner whispers, holding me tightly. I feel him shaking against me and I loop my arms around him further. His voice is steady, but his aura signature is not. His heart rapidly beats against my own fast-paced one. "Did Darkrai disappear forever?"

Arceus, what did Palkia just do? What even just happened? All of this has been turmoil after turmoil, so much that I don't just feel completely drained: I'm numb. If all of this has only ever been a dream, I'd like to wake up now. If I do, then maybe everything will be alright again. Maybe I'll wake up in Fortree City to the smell of pancakes, five years old again as I race through my childhood home to find my mother and father in the kitchen, safe and sound. Or maybe I'll wake back up at the Guild, with Manaphy nestled between Ri and myself as he rouses us to give him a Blue Gummi. Maybe I can be ok again.

But I'm not ok. Nothing is ok, and I'm not waking up from this.

Palkia turns to us, drastically calmed than when he first got here, though he still carries a look of disgruntlement. "No. That has not happened," he answers, "He has suffered grievous damage and has been banished to some unknown place. But, wherever he may be…" he scowls, "he lives."

Relief floods within the grueling atmosphere that hangs over us, but also concern. "When he recovers from his injuries," Ri presses, "won't Darkrai just go back to his wicked ways?"

That's right. Since he is still alive, there's nothing stopping him from coming after us again or trying to destroy the world in some other time. We're still not safe from him. No one is.

Cresselia takes a deep breath, "That remains to be seen. Because when Darkrai entered the Dimensional Hole, he began to time travel. At that precise moment, he was struck with Palkia's attack." For a while, she stares at the place where the vortex had been only moments ago, then she turns to face us, "Remember what Darkrai said about Lira's arrival from the future? Darkrai attacked while you were time-travelling, and so Lira was overcome by amnesia. So, just like Lira…" her voice falters, and she swallows hard, "It's likely that Darkrai has lost his memory as well."

"What?!"

"Yes. Darkrai will likely never recover it, and he will wander lost through the world."

I don't believe her. I can't. Again, what she says seems almost like it's too good to be true. And even if he loses his memories, I'm proof enough to show how much of a lie it is to say that he can't get them back. Darkrai still lives, and for better or worse that means that none of this is over. Not by a longshot.

"We are done with him. He will not likely expand the distortion of space again," Palkia spits dismissively. Really though, it just makes it sound like all he came here for was to get revenge against Darkrai for messing with his domain—nevermind whatever could've happened to us. "I will return to the Spacial Rift. I foresee no reason to ever return here. Farewell."

Even if any of us were going to try to stop him, we wouldn't have gotten the chance. In a less disastrous burst of light than the one that manifested during the chaos of his arrival, he leaves without any further goodbyes. _Good riddance_ , I think, drawing my mouth into a firm line. I've had enough with just about all legendaries.

"It's over then?" A shadow falls over us, and Ri and I look up to find Dusknoir gliding to a stop behind us. Picking themselves up off the ground, Grovyle and Celebi move to join us by our side as well. "That's it? We just… forget that he's still out there and carry on with our lives?" To anyone who didn't really know him, he'd sound calm, but I can hear the vexation in his tone.

"Well…" Cresselia pauses, as if considering her answer. Even if she has different reasons than ours, I don't think she can just readily accept this either. But all she says is, "That is that. Shall we also go back?"

Helping one another rise, we look around us at the aftermath of the battle. Not far from where we stand, the Mismagius evokes a tired groan. I want to help the Pokemon here that Darkrai used against us, but I don't really want to be here either to explain things when they regain consciousness. We have enough supplies: We can leave some of them behind so they can heal themselves.

I turn to face my partner. I want to go back to Treasure Town. I want to go back to a place where things actually make sense and where we're never swept up in the turbulence of our lives as Guardians of Light. Where we're just Ri and Lira, two teenagers that like to sleep in late and go on adventures.

I don't have to say a word. "Yes," he smiles at me, answering for us both, "Let's go home, Lira! Back to Treasure Town!"

Home again with the people I love and a chance of moving forward. What a dream too good to be true with all that now weighs upon my chest. Still, I squeeze his hand. I'm ready. With him by my side, I know I can face this uncertain future.


	56. Chapter 56: Stepping Forward

Days pass by. Life goes on.

We were welcomed back home in the only fashion that Treasure Town's rowdy population of explorers knew to give: In a stampede of people, all cheering, and shouting, and hugging in a gathered swarm around us, followed by a massive celebration. There was plenty of music, and chatter, and food—so much food! And everyone kept on asking us to tell them what happened in our battle with Darkrai. Dinner was followed by storytelling, which was followed by a bonfire in the square, which was followed by Wigglytuff's attempt to sing, which was followed by all of us joining in. We were having so much fun that we forgot the troubles still hanging over us. It was perfect.

Azurill is still fine, and it doesn't seem like the nightmares he suffered have eaten away at him like ours did. With both of the boys safe from Pitch Black's hold, Drowzee is leaving town. He says he's going to travel, but he promises that he'll come back. I can only hope that, when he does, he'll have continued to grow as a person. And by then, chances are we'll have grown a bit more too.

Not long after we returned, we went back to Luminous Spring. For whatever reason, we still can't evolve, but I'm not all that worried about it. Sure, someday, it'll be nice. Someday, we'll find a way of our own. Right now though, I'm still happy with us as we are. Hand in hand, I'll walk beside my partner toward the future we've both dreamed of at a steady pace. It won't be easy—there's still so much that could threaten that future—but somehow we'll make it. Just like always.

It all feels so surreal. There are nights when I wake up thanks to nothing at all, half expecting to find myself back in the Dark Crater or the Stockades in Dark Future. I'd be alone, and I'd have to hopelessly search for a way out. Then I spot the moonlight filtering through the window and look beside me to find my partner fast asleep. He'll be there and I'll have nothing to worry about anymore. I just don't think that I could ever get used to peace. Every time that I try to get used to it, there's always something else thrown our way that ruins that. So if I choose to live like this, then maybe it's for the best to just carry on enjoying the things I can and rolling with the punches that the world throws at us.

I've told Ri everything about the visions I saw in the Dark Crater, including the memory of what Darkrai did to my parents. I didn't want to, but he has me talk to Cresselia about them as well. I just can't bring myself to trust her after everything that's happened; however, I trust him to have a good reason to tell her as well despite my reservations. She's stuck around town, so we have her meet with us at the cliff-face Sharpedo Bluff. Everyone's gone back to work as usual, so no one's around. It's just us.

"There's got to be some way we can find them," Ri presses, tightening his firm grip on my hand, "They were innocent people, Cresselia! Please! There has to be something we can do. It would mean a lot to us."

Us. I squeeze his hand back. I can't quite describe it, but there's something nice about him phrasing it like that. What's less nice though is when Cresselia gives us a quiet, sad shake of her head, "It's more complicated than that. A Dimensional Hole is supposed to work differently according to the abilities of whosoever summons it. It is not the same as a Passage of Time. For example, only Girantina can access separate dimensions against the wishes of those who rule them, and even then there are ordinances in place that restrict them from doing so. Without access to a Dimensional Hole that was created by another, I can only travel from my realm, to this world, to the minds of those asleep.

"Under normal circumstances, Dialga should've been the only one who could create a Dimensional Hole that could transcend the boundaries of time. Darkrai's kind have no such power, and yet he somehow managed it nonetheless. You saw what it was like though: Potent, but unstable. I fear whatever power that he drew upon in order to amplify his own," her mouth twisting into a frown, she stares hard at the earth, "He wasn't the same. He was losing himself."

"So? That just means that we have to track them across time," I rebuke, fighting back the strain in my voice, "We can ask Dialga to do that, can't we? They're an anomaly like us, so he should want to put them back in the correct time that they came from."

"You don't understand. Darkrai has been manipulating the flow of the world's balance to cover his tracks for all this while: Dialga will likely be unable to offer any aid as a result of that. But what am trying to say is that we don't know for certain if they travelled through time at all, or if they're even still in this world."

Her words rattle me and I freeze. She has a point. If Darkrai didn't travel through time when he attacked us, then the Dimensional Hole he summoned could've led anywhere—many even to other dimensions. And even if they were sent years into the past or future, if Dialga can't track down where they ended up, then no one can… If they're even still alive, then they could be anywhere, in any time, in any place, in any dimension within the fabric of reality. My vision begins to haze over and I blink rapidly, fighting back tears. Somehow, thinking about that is worse than all of these years that I thought for certain that they were dead.

Ri pulls me closer to him, letting me lean against him for support. "Lira? In the Dark Future, do you remember your parents saying or doing anything that might've hinted that they had traveled through time?"

Biting the inside of my lip, I shake my head. Those early years of my life are as vague in my memory as anyone else's—my life may as well have started just weeks before I met Grovyle in the Dark Future. I remember that they were very protective over me, but I didn't think they were like that anymore than anyone else was with their kids in that timeline. And it's not like I would've thought to ask them.

"There's only one person that might have some clue as to where or when they might be," Cresselia sighs, "and that is Darkrai himself. However, finding him will be its own struggle, and there's also the chance that he may have developed amnesia like Lira did. If that's the case…"

She doesn't say anything more. She doesn't have to. I gnashed my teeth together, focusing on the anger that bubbles inside me because focusing on the pain instead is too much. It's the only hope I'll ever have of finding them, but I'm loathe to go hunting him down. And if he really does have amnesia, than I might just lose my mind completely. Can I really put myself through that if it all ends up just being for nothing?

Who am I kidding? I'm going to do it anyway no matter what anyone tells me or how much it hurts in the end. Doing nothing at all is the one choice I _can't_ make.

"It is thanks to you, Lira and Ri, that Darkrai was stopped from carrying out his wicked scheme," she continues, finally offering us a small grin, "My job here is done, and I sincerely… thank you." There's something about her demeanor though that contradicts the calm warmth voice. What happened with Darkrai has to be tearing her apart, even more so with the hand she chose to play in order to stop him. Really, she seems close to tears herself.

"Cresselia, what about you?" Ri asks, staring at her empathetically, "What are your plans now?"

For the longest while, she says nothing, turning her back on us to look out at the sea. I doubt that she has nowhere to go—surely she has her own duties to carry out as a legendary—but she seems to be deeply considering her answer. Finally though, she replies, "I've pondered many possibilities, and all the same I can only think of one place where I can best serve my purpose." Almost shyly, she looks back over to us, "And that is here, watching after the children of light. May I… join Team Crusade?"

There's no describing the shock that registers on the both of our faces when she asks us this. I can't believe what I'm hearing, and it takes my partner's surprised shout to drill the full implication of her request into my mind, "What?! Cresselia, _you_ want to join our exploration team?!"

The only good reason I can think of as to why she'd want something like that is because she knows we're after Darkrai. She probably thinks that if she stays with us that she'll be able to find him easier herself, and it doesn't look like she'll get any help from any of the other legendaries. Not except to burn Darkrai at the stake, anyway… In the very least, we need him alive. That's probably what she's counting on.

"If I'm not a burden, I very much hoped that you would accept me on your team," she reaffirms, "Will you have me?"

"You must be joking! You're the last Pokemon I'd consider a burden!" Ri balks at her. For him, this has to be one of the greatest things that could happen for our team, having a legendary request to be in it. That's why he doesn't hesitate, "We'd be honored to have you! Right, Lira?"

It's not that I hate her or anything, but I'm not going to say that I'm entirely for having her on our team either. Though I guess saying 'no' would actually be pretty petty of me in the end. There's no good reason why I _wouldn't_ want her to join us: She knows more about the Guardians of Light that what we could find trying to do our own research and she could help us find Darkrai as well. After all, she has been hunting him down for all this time already. If he does ever bother to show his face again, I'd also rather have her on our side than not. Weighing everything in my head, there's no way that I can refuse her. I nod, "The more the merrier. We'll need to get you registered, but I doubt we'll have any problems."

Her smile almost makes me feel bad for my secret reluctance. "That you so much!" she beams.

"Oh, you bet, Cresselia! Thank you for joining us!" my partner replies, chuckling a little. I raise a brow as he tugs against my arm, pulling me off in the direction of town. "We're going to have to celebrate with the others as soon as possible, but for now I think we both just need some time alone together if that's alright with you. Thank you again!"

She dips her head at us in a graceful goodbye, "Of course. I imagine the two of you are ready for some time away from your duties after all that has happened. There are certain matters that I must attend to as well, and so I'll be leaving for a few days. I will see you then."

Of course, she doesn't bother to tell us what those 'certain matters' are, but Ri's already dragging me away. Fine. I don't care. I'm done worrying for now. I'll just assume that whatever it is that she has to do either involves what happened with Darkrai or her decision to join us. What I'm more interested in for the time being is what my partner wants.

Once we're walking though, he acts like it's just another ordinary day for us. We're just walking down the main road as we always have, time after time throughout the days since we first formed our team. He greets people as we walk by, and his eyes briefly wander the shops as we pass through the market. He's smiling. Everything is wonderful.

And then he asks me, "Looking back on it all… is there anything that you'd have done differently? Lira, if you could go back and change one thing, what would you do?"

The question throws me. For a moment, I stare at him, blinking, and then I answer with a light smirk, "I would've kept that tooth that I knocked out of Palkia's mouth as a souvenir."

For a minute, all he can do is look at me in disbelief at my bold claim, but soon enough he's laughing. We both are. And how could he expect me to say anything less? I wonder why he felt like he needed to ask me that anyway though. To see if I had any regrets? No, or at least I can't think of any… I've had enough time to think things over and with everything I've done I feel like I've done the best I could.

"I wish I had I listened to you sooner…" His quiet murmur comes with a soft grin, and his eyes seem to shimmer, "Lira, I… I'm sorry for the way I was acting when Azurill was stuck in that nightmare. I just keep giving up, don't I? And you always end up being the one to have to help me." He takes a deep, slow breath, "I keep thinking about what Dusknoir asked me. If I had to pick between killing Darkrai or losing you… I—I should be strong enough to look you in the eyes and answer that. Lira, I—"

"Ri." I cut him off there, shaking my head. I tighten my hold around his arm. "It's ok. I don't _want_ you to answer that. I never want you to have to…"

"But it's _not_ ok," he sighs, struggling to keep his voice level as his ears pin back along his head, "Not when you can answer it without hesitating."

"Maybe it's for the best that you can't…" I look away. "I would have killed him, Ri. If I'm completely honest with myself, a part of me says that I should've, because there's nothing stopping him from trying to kill us. People like him don't care about who dies so long as they get their way in the end." It's probably not the sort of thing he wanted to hear from me, but it's how I feel. Even still though, I can't look him in the eye when I say it any more than he can give me his answer.

"Well… You didn't kill him. And that has to count for something," he replies, choosing his words carefully, but with a steadfast faith in them. "I remember what Wigglytuff said: 'Every person in the world exists for a reason.' That means even the ones that mean harm to others… Even that Darkrai." He swallows, "If we can find him, then maybe he'll try to set things right by helping us find your parents. Or maybe his getting amnesia will be a good thing, because he won't have any reason to hurt anyone anymore."

I keep my gaze turned away. I'm not sure how to answer that. I'm not sure what to believe.

I don't even realize where we're going until I hear the sounds of the town fade away to be replaced by the roar of the waves lapping against the sand. He's taken me to the beach. I snort: One way or another, we always end up coming back here, don't we? I let him lead me to the shoreline, and we just stand there. We look out at the horizon and watch the peaceful expanse of ocean. It's so warm here, and so bright. The scent of the water tickles my nose as a gentle breeze washes over us.

"I've been thinking… I think I know why we were chosen to be the Guardians of Light," I mumble softly, "It's not that we were chosen to save the world. It's because we'd have tried to do it anyway, no matter what."

" _You_ would," he teases, "You're so stubborn, you probably would've tried to swim to the Hidden Land by yourself if Lapras hadn't taken us there."

"And you'd come swimming after me," I chortle.

The tide is rolling in. The cool water laps at our feet, and the afternoon sun hangs lazily within a summer sky painted with thin streaks of white. I wonder for how long we can stay here like this. Maybe until the Krabby decide to come out? Or maybe Grovyle or Celebi will come looking for us. Maybe Dusknoir will demand that we keep practicing on our moves and battling techniques. Maybe we'll suddenly be called in for a job request by one of our Guildmates, or maybe Azalea will want to train with us for a bit before the day is over.

"Hey, Lira…"

I look over to my right to find my partner crying silent tears, and not a second after I feel wet trails on my own face and taste a bittersweet tang on the edge of my lips. But we're both smiling. His eyes twinkle like embers in the light.

"I'm so happy that we're alive! Thank you for always being with me!" he chuckles through his tears, "Let's keep on exploring, ok?"

I shuffle closer to him, pressing my chest against his own. I feel his heartbeat fall in sync with mine, and I cradle my head beneath his chin. "Where you go, I go," I find myself whispering as my eyes flutter shut. His arms circle around me. "I want to stay like this. I want to stay with you forever…"

Darkrai said that I was just a child. I know I am: I have a lot left in my life to see, and learn, and experience. And I'm lucky enough to be able to share it will so many amazing people. Him though? He was just a bad dream. And now I've woken up. So, even if I have another nightmare, I know that at some point I'll open my eyes again to find someone there beside me.

I'm ready for our next big adventure, Ri. Wherever it take us.

 **End of Part 3**

* * *

 _((_ _ **Author's Note:**_ _Whoo! Well… That's done. It took four years to do it, but we've reached the end of the game's main storyline. While typing this, I'm not exactly sure how I should feel. I'm happy, but—like Lira—I'm going to be opening doors that I'm not entirely sure what's behind them._

 _When I started PGL, I did so just with the intention of following a story that I really enjoyed and adding my own commentary on it as this character: I didn't really mean for it to evolve the way it did, it just happened on its own. And I can't be more thankful for that. I've grown so much as a writer, met so many great people, and have been able to expand on a world I fell in love with because of that. As this comes to a close, I thank each and every one of you for following it up to this point._

 _Fortunately, for those of you who really like PGL, I don't plan to drop everything here though. I still have a few plots in mind before I have to box everything and move on to some new chapter of my life. ;) I'm happy to announce that there will be a Book Four; however, for the time being, I will be busy cleaning up little mistakes in the current books, finishing, "Rays of Hope," and working on the audio drama. You can expect new PGL content in the future, but I will be working on other projects as well._

 _Thank you all so much again! It's been a journey, but I'm happy to keep walking it!))_


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